Papaya-Stuffed Chicken and Basmati Rice

My husband came up with this recipe to serve for Valentine's Day. The basmati rice flavor melds perfectly with the fruity sauce.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 872 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon, or to taste
• ⅓ cup melted margarine
• 1 cup crushed buttery round crackers (such as Ritz®)
• 1 papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in its own juice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 2

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Step 3

Lay a chicken breast flat onto your work surface. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut a pocket in the chicken breast through a 2 inch slit in the side. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Place the slices into the pocket of each chicken breasts, then sprinkle papaya slices with cinnamon to taste. Dip the chicken breast halves one at a time into the melted margarine, then the cracker crumbs.

Step 4

Heat 1 tablespoons of margarine in a skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Place browned chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, then flip each chicken breast. Continue baking until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Step 6

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of margarine in the same skillet used to brown the chicken over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the orange juice, pineapple, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced, about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat once more to low and continue simmering until the sauce is thickened. Serve the chicken breasts over the rice with the pineapple sauce spooned on top.