Here’s a nifty recipe for those boring chicken fillets that just beg to be beaten. Pounding the living daylights out of a piece of chicken has saved my husband numerous times.
The recipe is (like most of mine) easy to tinker with, using what you have rather than what you have to go to the store for. Safeway at 4:30 pm? I think not. I imagine most of us have rolled up a chicken part over some kind of stuffing, but I thought I’d share one of our favorites. I’ve made notes on substitutions you may want to consider.
Florentine Chicken Roll Ups
Serves 4 (but easily doubled)
4 boneless, skinless chicken fillets
4-8 slices of good smoked ham or prosciutto (depending on what you like and how big and thick the slices are)
4 oz plain goat cheese
1 cup finely shredded spinach leaves
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place a fillet between two plastic storage bags (I use quart sized Ziplocs) and pound them with a meat mallet until the fillets are about ¼ inch thick, being careful not to tear the meat. Repeat with all fillets, carefully peeling plastic from each fillet and reusing again. Place fillets on work surface to proceed.
2. Arrange slices of ham or prosciutto on top of each fillet to your liking.
3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, oregano, basil, and pepper. Spread equally over the tops of the ham/prosciutto slices.
4. Starting with the widest end, roll each fillet up, like a crescent roll, and secure with a toothpick.
5. Line a baking sheet or pan with foil. Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the foil.
Arrange the chicken rolls on the sheet or pan and drizzle with the remaining oil. Salt and pepper the rolls. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in thickest part of biggest roll.
Notes: Once I used marscapone cheese instead of goat cheese. And one picky kid (you KNOW who you are...Evan) refused to eat goat cheese because it smelled like “gym socks”. So, I used a combo of mozzarella and cream cheese. Pretty good! And definitely use fresh herbs if you have them handy….I’d double the amount, if using fresh. And a very successful substitution for the spinach was arugula! This is lovely served with rice and a simple salad.
The recipe is (like most of mine) easy to tinker with, using what you have rather than what you have to go to the store for. Safeway at 4:30 pm? I think not. I imagine most of us have rolled up a chicken part over some kind of stuffing, but I thought I’d share one of our favorites. I’ve made notes on substitutions you may want to consider.
Florentine Chicken Roll Ups
Serves 4 (but easily doubled)
4 boneless, skinless chicken fillets
4-8 slices of good smoked ham or prosciutto (depending on what you like and how big and thick the slices are)
4 oz plain goat cheese
1 cup finely shredded spinach leaves
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Place a fillet between two plastic storage bags (I use quart sized Ziplocs) and pound them with a meat mallet until the fillets are about ¼ inch thick, being careful not to tear the meat. Repeat with all fillets, carefully peeling plastic from each fillet and reusing again. Place fillets on work surface to proceed.
2. Arrange slices of ham or prosciutto on top of each fillet to your liking.
3. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, oregano, basil, and pepper. Spread equally over the tops of the ham/prosciutto slices.
4. Starting with the widest end, roll each fillet up, like a crescent roll, and secure with a toothpick.
5. Line a baking sheet or pan with foil. Brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the foil.
Arrange the chicken rolls on the sheet or pan and drizzle with the remaining oil. Salt and pepper the rolls. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in thickest part of biggest roll.
Notes: Once I used marscapone cheese instead of goat cheese. And one picky kid (you KNOW who you are...Evan) refused to eat goat cheese because it smelled like “gym socks”. So, I used a combo of mozzarella and cream cheese. Pretty good! And definitely use fresh herbs if you have them handy….I’d double the amount, if using fresh. And a very successful substitution for the spinach was arugula! This is lovely served with rice and a simple salad.
1 comment:
Oooo, that sounds so good and I have just about all those ingredients. I think I'll just have to make it soon! Have a great day Catherine!
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