How to make Chicken Rollatini
It’s no secret that the way to reach your golden years is to take care of your body. Well after many years of overindulging, 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 has gotten used to having me around)
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 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 pistachios instead of pine nuts.
The 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 a 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! If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like my Chicken Taco Cups.
If you’ve tried my Chicken Rollatini recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.
Chicken Rollatini
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cups bunch- about 3 of arugula leaves
- ¼ cup salted pistachio’s
- 2 tsp grated Romano cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic peeled
Chicken Rollatini
- 12 ounces thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts 6 pieces
- 3 tbsp gorgonzola crumbles
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
Pesto
- Clean and wash your arugula leaves, pat dry in paper towels
- In the bowl of your food processor, add the arugula, garlic clove, and pistachios. Pulse until fully blended and finely chopped.
- Add the Romano cheese and pulse
- Add the olive oil, in a slow stream as you pulse the mixture until well blended
Chicken Rollatini
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels.
- Lay breasts flat on cutting board and add about a tablespoon 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.*If you can't thinly cut chicken breasts, slice them in half and pound thin with a meat hammer
- Top with Gorgonzola crumbles.
- Roll breasts starting at the smaller end until completely rolled up.
- Dredge finished breast in breadcrumbs to get a light coating.
- Heat the 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 all of the coconut oil will drain off.
- Serve with sides of your choice
Nancy
This is delicious! Made just a half of recipe for two per the recipe except for the pesto; I used olive oil since that what I had and EVOO is healthy, too. Next time I will add more Gorgonzola (Used 1.5 TBSP for 3 thin chicken cutlets from about 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast) I did need to use toothpicks to hold the rolls together after the first flip. I served it with a simple arugula salad & slow roasted potato, onion & red pepper in the 350F oven for about an hour. I may also adapt it to a kale/walnut pesto with feta cheese for some variety. Thanks Chef Dennis for another winner!
(PS – I think in the pesto recipe you meant 1 bunch or ~3 cups of arugula)
Michael Toa
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.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist
This looks absolutely incredible!!
nicole @ I am a Honey Bee
it was so great to meet you this past weekend!
Can’t wait to try coconut oil one day.
Kimby
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!
Minnie@thelady8home
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/
anna
i love coconut oil! and that is a very intriguing pesto! love the addition of pistachios.
Lynn
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 😉
Minnie@thelady8home
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!
Betty Ann @Mango_Queen
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!
torviewtoronto
looks wonderful delicious combination of flavours
RavieNomNoms
This looks fantastic chef!!
Jessica | Oh Cake
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!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
I’ve recently fallen in love with coconut oil, and I love how creatively you used it here! This looks absolutely delicious.
Mary
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!
Lea Ann (Cooking on the Ranch)
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.
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
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!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
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!
Jen @JuanitasCocina
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!
Brian @ A Thought For Food
I’ve just started cooking with coconut oil and I love it. This looks lovely, Dennis!
So great seeing you this weekend!