Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the same thing over and over again with chicken breasts. Taco chicken. Fajitas. Marinated. Again and again. It all tastes good and my family never complains, but I just get bored. Sometimes I need to do things a little differently. And then we go out to eat because the concept of thinking outside the box and doing things a little differently makes me feel like that could be the one thing that would push me over the edge that day and I can tell you one thing: no one wants to see me pushed over the edge by the thought of chicken breasts.
I love this recipe because it’s different, and it’s fancy enough that you could serve it for company, but it’s also super easy and doesn’t have a mile-long ingredients list of things that you’ll buy and then toss into the backs of your cupboards, never to be seen again.
For stuffing the chicken, you’re going to need 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (yes, I do realize there are four in this picture. Math may not be my strong suit, but I did catch this one…)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, spinach leaves, ricotta cheese, garlic bread seasoning, and mozzarella cheese.
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the ricotta cheese and garlic bread seasoning and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place a chicken breast flat on a plastic cutting board and cover the entire board with a piece of plastic wrap.
Pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet until it’s about 1/4″ thick (it will have spread considerably).
Cut the pounded chicken breast in half.
Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Line a chicken breast with spinach leaves.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese…
And spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the spinach leaves and cheese, leaving about a 1/2″ margin from each edge.
Starting at on one end, carefully roll up each chicken breast and secure with 2 toothpicks.
Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
Roll each stuffed chicken breast in melted butter,
then roll in the Italian seasoned bread crumbs
and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or until the chicken is cooked through. If you want to brown the tops a little, turn on the low broiler for 1-2 minutes (be sure to keep an eye on it–burning things at this point would be very sad). Makes 6 servings.
Italian Chicken Roll-Ups
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon garlic bread seasoning
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- Pizza sauce or your favorite marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Mix together the ricotta cheese and garlic bread seasoning and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place a chicken breast flat on a plastic cutting board and cover the entire board with a piece of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breast with a meat mallet until it’s about 1/4″ thick (it will have spread considerably). Cut the pounded chicken breast in half. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Line a chicken breast with spinach leaves. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the spinach leaves, leaving about a ½″ margin from each edge, then sprinkle with mozzarella. Starting at on one end, carefully roll up each chicken breast and secure with 2 toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
- Roll each stuffed chicken breast in melted butter, then roll in the Italian seasoned bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or until the chicken is cooked through. A thermometer inserted into the meat near the very center of the roll should read at least 165°F. If you want to brown the tops a little, turn on the low broiler for 1-2 minutes (be sure to keep an eye on it–burning things at this point would be very sad). Makes 6 servings.
Questions & Reviews
Looks great, have you also tried frying them instead of doing them in the ofen?
Could you please give us directions if we want to freeze them to eat at a later date? Thank you!
I want to make these tonight, but I’m wondering- could they be assembled beforehand? I would do everything except roll them in butter and crumbs? That way I can easily pop them in the oven after church! Thanks!
I made this tonight for the family and despite the whiny almost-2-yr-old it was still pretty simple to make! I made it with a very small portion of alfredo pasta and we sprinkled MORE of the garlic bread seasoning on top of our alfredo instead of regular parm. DELISH. Instant favorite in my house. Thank you guys for all the recipes! You have saved me from my boring routines several times with your new and butt-kicking recipes!