February 01, 2006

Chicken Parmesan Rolls

This was a little experiment in cooking that actually worked out and hubby suggested I post it. Hmmmm....must have been good!

Chicken Parmesan Rolls

1.5 pounds of boneless chicken breasts (4 large, cut into 8 smaller pieces)
Fresh Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, finely chopped
2 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 pieces sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
dried thyme and dried oregano leaves for seasoning
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
Mozzarella cheese slices (8 large slices or 16 small slices), or grated
1 cup (or more) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Directions:

Cut 4 large chicken breasts in half, so you have 8 chicken breast pieces. Pound out to about 1/4" thickness. If you are using large mozzarella cheese slices, cut them in half, so you have a total of 16 slices.

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat, coat bottom with a few turns of EVOO.

In a separate pan, heat up the spaghetti sauce (of course you can substitute your own!).

Layer the following evenly on each chicken breast piece: parsley, garlic, sundried tomatoes, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, 1 small slice of mozzarella cheese, a small handful of parm (reserve about half of the parm to put on top of the rolls in the end). Once you have done this, roll each chicken breast into a log, taking care to tuck in the cheese and other ingredients, secure with toothpick. Roll in bread crumbs, assuring you have a generous coating.

Brown the rolls in the skillet on both sides. Most of the cooking will be done in the skillet, but the rolls will finish off in the oven, so you do not need to ensure they are fully cooked in the skillet - just nice and brown on both sides.

Pour about 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a glass rectangular dish and place the chicken rolls in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the chick rolls. Place the last pieces of mozzarella on top of each roll. Spread the remaining parm across the top of the dish. Heat in a 400 degree oven until the chicken is fully cooked and the cheese has melted.

YUM! I served this with a sundried tomato cheesy orso pasta dish, which is a take on one of Rachael Ray's recipes. I'll be sure to share this recipe with you as it is a good one. I just layered the pasta on the plate, placed the chicken roll on top of it and spooned out a bit of sauce as well. It was a nice meal!