Creamy Smoky Baked Chicken With Ham

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (4 breasts)
• 1 cup smoked ham, chopped pretty fine (important to use a smoky ham, this is a key ingredient for this dish. i bought a slice of smoked ham)
• 1 (11 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, i use the 99% fat free (less salt)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (low fat will work, but not the fat free)
• 1/4 cup wine
• 1 cup smoky gouda cheese, grated (smoky mozzarella or even smoky cheddar will work)
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon (1 tablespoon fresh parsley, fine chopped would be a good substitute, i use more parsley as it is not)
• pepper, fresh ground
• salt

Recipe

• 1 chicken -- first and most important, bring your chicken to room temp and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
• 2 casserole -- pick a pan so that all 4 breasts fit well side by side. you want the sauce on the chicken not sitting on the bottom of the pan. too big of pan does not work well for this dish. spray with a non stick such as pam and add your chicken.
• 3 sauce -- in a small bowl, add the sour cream, soup, wine and ham and mix well.
• 4 spoon the sauce over each chicken breast and top with a light sprinkle of black pepper.
• 5 bake -- heat the oven to 325 degrees and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. top with 1/4 cup of the cheese and cook another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and gooey.
• 6 serve -- i love a mix of wild and rice (uncle bens is great, whole foods has a great brown rice, or just any rice will work. i garnish the rice with fresh scallions ( and green parts) and cooked chicken broth which i think really helps. then add each breast and any additional sauce over the top. garnish with the fresh tarragon or you can use parsley. roasted lemon zucchini is a great side dish.