I started making chicken roll-ups on those nights when I would get home from work, look in the refrigerator and discover I had chicken breasts and a little of this and a little of that.
Give me half a bag of spinach, 110g of Swiss cheese and a few common pantry items - garlic, lemon, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce - and an hour, and I can deliver little stuffed chicken rolls that are pretty enough for company. Slice the rolls open and see a swirl of meat, greens and cheese. I like to serve them with buttery boiled new potatoes, a green salad and, perhaps, a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Easy Chicken Roll-Ups
(Serves 4)
This weeknight chicken dish comes together in about an hour and is pretty enough for an impromptu dinner party. Storage Notes: Store cooled chicken rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 170g (about 3/4 cup) fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 4 chicken cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts, skinned, deboned and thinly sliced into cutlets), about 450g
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 110g Swiss cheese
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Steps
Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 190 degrees. Place the water in a glass bowl and add the spinach and garlic. Toss to combine. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and tender. Stir the lemon zest into the spinach.
Brush each cutlet with oil and dredge both sides in the bread crumbs.
Lay a cutlet flat and spoon a quarter of the spinach mixture onto meat, spreading it evenly in the centre of the cutlet and leaving about 0.5cm border around the edges. Layer a quarter of the cheese on top of the spinach. Carefully roll the chicken up and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Lightly grease a medium baking dish with more of the oil and place the chicken rolls in the dish. (It's OK if they touch.) Pour the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce over the chicken, then finish with a drizzle of the melted butter.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 75 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Do not overbake, or the chicken will be dry.