Sunday, December 25, 2011

Chicken Breast Roll with Mozzarella and Herbs



This chicken breast roll can be served hot with buttered noodles and tomato sauce or at room temperature thinly sliced and served with crusty bread. Either way it is a great meal for all seasons. I used mozzarella for stuffing but any melting cheese or even blue cheese or combination of both is great. Use of thermometer is almost a must since chicken breast dries very quickly, you don’t want to go over 160 °F. Remember that breast will keep cooking after being removed from oven. As far as seasonings goes, again, it is up to you. Touch of heat is always nice in any meat roll, I usually use chilies pepper flakes and freshly ground white pepper.

Ingredients
2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup grated cheese
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp. pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Directions
Butterfly and pound the chicken breast into 1/4” thick cutlet. (Video that shows the process is attached.)
Preheat oven to 350 °F and place the rack in middle of oven.
Season the cutlet with herbs, salt and pepper and evenly spread the cheese on top stopping about 1” from edges and top. Start rolling away from you making sure that roll is tight. With one full turn left fold over the sides to enclose the roll and finish the roll. Secure the roll by tying loops with butcher twine at 2” intervals. Preheat non-stick frying pan with 2 Tbs. of olive oil on medium high and brown the rolls on all sides. Place the pan in oven and roast until thermometer reaches 155 °F, about 25 minutes. When done, remove from oven and rest for few minutes then cut slice s 1/2” thick. Serve with buttered noodles and tomato sauce.

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