Want to do something interesting with those boring chicken breast in your freezer? Chicken Rollatini is an Italian dish that is both light and bold in flavor. Here is an easy and tasty recipe that is sure to please.
Take trimmed chicken breast and flatten to 1/4 inch with a mallet inside a large plastic bag so you don't make a mess, then lay out flat and spread 1.5 Tbs of homemade pesto in the center of the breast and insert a slice of fresh, whole milk mozzarella cheese. Then roll the meat over tightly and pin in place using tooth picks. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat a thick bottomed sauté or frying pan to medium heat then add olive oil. Once well heated, brown chicken breast on both sides and finish in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Allow the chicken to rest about 5 minutes before cutting diagonally through the center.
Pesto - is a wonderful, versitile, and easy to make concoction of fresh basil, fresh garlic, parmesian reggiano cheese, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. To make it, just use 1 cup of fresh basil and 1-2 fresh garlic cloves chopped to your taste - incorporate by pulsing in a food processor. Now add 1/4 cup of pine nuts and pulse again. Now add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan reggiano and pulse. While pulsing in the cheese, slowly add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Add salt to taste. You can use this on pizza, paninis, sandwiches, and all sorts of other things. Use it like a condiment.
I served the chicken rollatini with baby romaine and arugula greens from the garden and topped with homemade Caesar dressing and grated parmesan reggiano. This meal pairs PERFECTLY with a nice, earthy Savignon Blanc.
The chicken was a great finish to a not so good day. The pesto and cheese stuffing was so good - just wish there would have been more :).
ReplyDelete