Chicken Rollatini with Arugula Pesto

Name: Chicken Rollatini
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 1 cups bunch- about 3 of arugula leaves; 1/4 cup salted pistachio's; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 clove garlic peeled; 12 ounces thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts ( 6 pieces); 3 tbsp gorgonzola crumbles; 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs; 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

July 29, 2012 by Chef Dennis Littley 19 Comments

You're going to love my Chicken Rollatini stuffed with an arugula pesto (made with coconut oil) and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Simply Delicious!

Total Time: 38 minutes

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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.

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Rollatini

You're going to love my Chicken Rollatini stuffed with an arugula pesto (made with coconut oil) and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Simply Delicious!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time18 mins

Total Time38 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken rollatini, healthy chicken dish

Servings:

Calories: 477kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

Pesto

1 cups bunch- about 3 of arugula leaves
1/4 cup salted pistachio's
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic peeled

Chicken Rollatini

12 ounces thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts 6 pieces
3 tbsp gorgonzola crumbles
1/2 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 Coconut Oil, and pulse 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.
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

Notes

*if you feel better drizzling the coconut oil in the pesto, you can heat it up first, but it really doesn't make much of a difference.

Nutrition

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About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

Chicken Rollatini with Arugula Pesto