6 boneless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs total)

6 sticks blue-veined cheese (about 3oz. total), each .5 to by 2 inches

All-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 tablespoon salad oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dry white cooking wine or regular-strength chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

Watercress sprigs

1) Rinse chicken and pat dry, then place pieces between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a flat-surfaced mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Place pieces skinned sides down; put a stick of cheese at one end of each. Fold in sides and roll up compactly; fasten securely with skewers or wooden picks. Dust with flour.

2) Melt butter in oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (2 to 3 minutes). With a slotted spoon, remove nuts from pan and set aside.

3) Add chicken to pan; cook, turning as needed, until lightly browned on all sides (about 5 minutes). Pour in wine. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is no longer pink in center; cut to test (12 to 15 minutes). Transfer chicken to a warm platter; discard wooden picks and keep chicken warm.

4) Stir cream into pan juices. Boil over high heat, stirring often, until reduced by about half. Pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with watercress.

note: I actually changed this recipe a bit as i went…

1) i used a 2005 Valdadige Pinot Grigio which we had with the meal in place of the white cooking wine

2) i had 4 people and could not find boneless chicken thighs, so i substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6) and added a bit more of everything else to the mix.

3) i used extra virgin olive oil instead of salad oil.

removing the toothpicks also proved to be a bit of a pain, especially with the chicken still being quite warm. before i make this again, i will be getting a set of these: Messermeister Fish Pliers.

with the amount of it i made, we had 2 pieces leftover, and just had them today. the only thing i would change about the leftovers is i would separate the watercress and the sauce from the chicken and reheat the chicken and sauce separate from the watercress. we reheated all of it at once and the microwave wilted the watercress making it more like canned spinach.

the tangyness of the blue cheese, the roasted flavor of the walnuts, and the sweet / tart flavor of the pinot really complimented eachother.  we all really enjoyed this meal.

another thing i thought i’d mention is that if you’ve never cooked blue cheese before, be prepared for the smell… it is a bit like boiling a pot of old socks.