It’s no secret that the way to reach your golden years is to take care of your body. We’ll after many years of over indulging, I’m beginning to think it’s time to belly up to the bar (pardon the pun) and try to amend some of my eating habits. I know it’s not going to happen all at once, you don’t just give up heavy cream and butter cold turkey. But I think it’s time to start cutting back.
Lisa and I have been talking about it (me eating healthier) since we’ve decided to make the move to Florida when we retire. She wants to make sure I’m still alive when we go, and I do understand that, after all I do all the cooking and shopping. (I know that’s not the only reason, let’s just say she gotten use to having me around)
So one might call it serendipity or in my case just pure dumb luck, but I was recently contacted by Kelapo to see if I would be interested in working with them, developing recipes using their Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I have to admit at first I was reluctant. I didn’t know anything about coconut oil, but the more I googled coconut oil, the more I learned how good it was for you……who knew? Well evidently the nice folks at Kelapo knew!
For my first foray into the wonderful world of coconut oil, I wanted to do something a little different…..something you could sink your teeth into. I tested a few of my recipes, checked how the Kelapo coconut oil reacted and found it to be a most resilient product. So far so good! From my restaurant days I chose a simple dish of Chicken Rollatini. I had served it as an appetizer and a main dish, and my stuffing of choice had been a basil pesto and toasted pine nuts. For this dish I used arugula for the green in my pesto, and keeping with the green theme I went with pistachio’s instead of pine nuts.
The Kelapo coconut oil worked just as well as olive oil in my pesto, even using it in its solid form. It had no aftertaste and the nutty flavor of the arugula still shone through! I did want to add some cheese to the dish, but I didn’t want to use Romano with these flavors. Instead I opted to use Gorgonzola crumbles, and my friends it was good decision. I decided to add the Gorgonzola crumbles after applying the pesto to the chicken breast. This kept my pesto a vibrant shade of green and allowed the arugula to maintain its flavors as the cheese slowly melted into a creamy texture.
The aroma was heavenly as the chicken finished baking, and the results were delicious!
- 1 bunch- about 3 cups of arugula leaves
- ¼ cup (40 gm) salted pistachio’s
- 2 tbsp (30ml) Kelapo Extra Virgin coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 6 thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp (60gm) gorgonzola crumbles
- ½ cup (30 gm) seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Clean and wash your arugula leaves, pat dry in paper towels
- In the bowl of your food processor, add the arugula, garlic clove and pistachio’s. Pulse until fully blended and finely chopped.
- Add Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, and pulse until well blended*
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels.
- Lay breasts flat on cutting board and add about a tablespoon (15 gm) of the arugula pesto on each piece and spread it evenly on one side of the breast, staying away just a bit from the edges.
- Top with Gorgonzola crumbles
- Roll breasts starting at the smaller end until completely rolled up.
- Dredge finished breast in bread crumbs to get a light coating.
- Heat pan and add olive oil
- Saute breast seam side down first, then as you turn them allow them to touch so they do not come unrolled.
- Saute each side until they are golden brown.
- Place finished breasts in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- **Be careful not to overcook the breasts, leaving them in the oven to long will dry them out and and all of the coconut oil will drain off.
- Serve with sides of your choice
I served my Chicken Rollatini with locally grown grilled sweet corn and a tri-color tomato salad. It was the perfect summertime meal, fresh, colorful and healthy!
Thanks for stopping by today for my first real meal with Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I hope you enjoyed it as much as Lisa and I did as I take my next step towards healthier eating. Let’s hope there are many more to come!
Disclosure: I have received compensation for writing this post. All opinions are my own.
I’ve just started cooking with coconut oil and I love it. This looks lovely, Dennis!
So great seeing you this weekend!
I love cooking with coconut oil. I use it as a substitute for butter in a lot of my baked goods. But, I’ve never went savory. Can’t wait to try this out!
This dish looks so delicious, Chef. I love the arugula pesto and all the fresh veggies you incorporated. Like Jen, I’ve used coconut oil in desserts but never a savory dish. Must try!
She’s right, it would be nice for you to be alive when you go to Florida. (had to chuckle) And this post is just a couple days late. I just threw out a good portion of a clam shell of arugula thinking I had gotten my money’s worth and not knowing what else to do with it. Next time, I’ll make pesto. And, I have coconut oil in my fridge because someone told me it was great for popping popcorn. I’ll really enjoy your posts and learning more about it. And so interesting that there’s an EV version. This chicken dish looks wonderful Chef.
Every starting-to-wilt arugula leaf gets made into pesto at my house. This is a good alternative to the pasta and pesto dinner. Your second paragraph had me laughing out loud!
I’ve recently fallen in love with coconut oil, and I love how creatively you used it here! This looks absolutely delicious.
I really didn’t know coconut oil was that healthy for you! I will definitely need to do my homework as we’re trying to eat better over here, too. All the flavors sound fantastic together!
This looks fantastic chef!!
I cook with coconut oil almost every day and I love it. Some varieties are completely flavor and odorless and I love that for some recipes and others leave a fantastic hint of coconut flavor and fragrance. Way to go with yet another fantastic recipe! I hope the potluck with fun this past weekend. I can hardly wait to start hearing about it!
looks wonderful delicious combination of flavours
This is a great recipe & the photos are simply mouthwatering. I’m glad you discovered coconut oil and its benefits. I’ve used coconut oil ALL MY LIFE and actually grew up with it also as a “beauty aid”. You’d be amazed ! Thanks for sharing this. It was great to connect with you again this weekend at The Big Potluck, Chef Dennis!
In India, the southern cuisine is almost completely based on cooking in coconut oil. And they taste so fabulous. I have never been able to successfully create a coconut oil dish, but this looks heavenly!
Wouldn’t have though of using coconut oil instead of olive in pesto. Love it! I’ve been using a splash of coconut oil when scrambling eggs. I think your pesto on top would be very nice. Look forward to hearing more about your coconut oil ( and healthier eating) adventures
i love coconut oil! and that is a very intriguing pesto! love the addition of pistachios.
Hi Chef Dennis, I have awarded you the Illuminating Blogger Award. You truly illuminate our world.
http://www.thelady8home.com/2012/07/30/how-green-is-my-valley-an-illumnating-award-and-winner-of-blue-ribbon-challenge/
Chef Dennis, I hear ya on the cutting back thing… heavy cream and butter have been “staples” for me, too. But, it sounds like you’ve discovered a great alternative and I’m curious to try it. Your Chicken Rollatini is proof positive that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for healthful eating!
it was so great to meet you this past weekend!
Can’t wait to try coconut oil one day.
This looks absolutely incredible!!
Hi Chef! What a beautiful – and healthy – dish. I just adore all the colours. They’re so vibrant and inviting. And pistachios in pesto instead of pine nuts sounds fab. Must try that next time. Hope you are keeping well.