Recipe: Holiday Chicken Roulade

Take a second look — this gussied-up chicken dish is easier to make than it may appear. The beauty of the recipe is not only the presentation, but in the economy of ingredients used.

Yield: 4 Servings

Active Time: 30 minutes
Baking Time: Approx. 15 minutes
Cost: Approx. $12 (using ad item chicken breasts)

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breast halves, pounded thin to uniform thickness*
• 4 ounces spreadable goat cheese or thinly sliced swiss cheese 
• 8 thin asparagus spears
• 1 small red bell pepper, membranes removed and cut into 4 long strips
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• White flour, as needed, for dusting roulades

*Avoid the pre-packed, hand-filleted, thin-sliced chicken. It sounds like it would be ideal for the recipe but usually the fillets are irregular.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper pepper. Spread goat cheese or lay Swiss cheese slices on the rough side of the chicken cutlets, taking care not to extend beyond the breast.
3. Place 2 asparagus spears on the cheese, one tip pointing to one side and another tip pointing to the other, the tips extending on each side of the breast. Place 1 red pepper strip, of equal length to the the cut asparagus, next to the tips. Roll up chicken breasts, securing with toothpicks if necessary.
4. Dust each roulade completely with flour. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter then brown all sides of chicken. With tongs, carefully remove from oil and place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Bake 15 minutes, or until cooked through, and remove toothpicks if used.
5. If desired, strain pan juices and drizzle over chicken. Serve chicken whole or cut into medallions. If cutting into medallions, a sharp, serrated knife works best.

 This recipe was written by Peggy Lapmpman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Dec. 17, 2010.