Okay, I stink. I did say that I would blog earlier but life has been insanely busy the past 2 weeks. And then I got addicted to the awesome "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy. So yes, I chose some books over blogging, I stink. But now I am back with one of my favorite recipes! I learned this one in my bachelor days while watching Hell's Kitchen one night, and it's amazing! It is Chicken Roulade with Fried Potatoes! Here we go!
Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
2-3 slices of prosciutto (or substitute with ham)
2-3 Potatoes
Feta Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
A Large Frying Pan you can put in your oven (no plastic handles)
First peel and cut up your potatoes into wedge-shaped slices. You'll want them to be fairly thin so they'll cook, but not potato chip thin. You want these potatoes to cook in a short time. This round I made the mistake of using 3 LARGE potatoes. 2 would have been plenty. But it all worked out. Set the potatoes aside and now work on the chicken.
Now take your 2 chicken breasts and butterfly-cut them. That means you are going to cut the chicken in half so it folds open into one large thin piece of chicken. It will look like a chicken butterfly!...sort of. A word of advice, you want to start cutting on the bumpy side of your chicken toward the side with the straighter edge (which I am pointing to). It makes the breast easier to work with. Also don't fret if you mess up, it may take some practice.
Here are my two chicken breasts butterfly opened. Now that you have that done, lay 1-2 slices of prosciutto across it. You want to cover the surface of the chicken as bast you can. That was easy!
Now it is time to add your feta cheese across your prosciutto. This cheese transforms this meal into pure magic! Next sprinkle some Italian Seasoning on it. If you buy Feta Cheese that has herbs already in it, you can skip the Italian Seasoning.
Then it is time to roll the chicken up (thus the roulade!). Using this picture as a reference, take the pointy end at the top and roll it up toward you. Once this is done you'll want to use either toothpicks or string to keep it together.
Once you have done that season the outside of your "rolled" chicken breasts with salt and pepper. It's time to heat up your pan on your stove, around medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and wait for it to heat up. Then add the chicken breasts and give it a good searing, one side at a time. Wait till it's a healthy brown before you do the other side. When I cook this, I start with the opening of the roulade on top and then turn it so it is on the bottom.
While this is happening pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.
Now it is time to add your sliced potatoes around the chicken. Observe that I have way too much, but you do what you can with it. I then pour 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes. Stir the potatoes a bit so the hot olive oil is spread fairly evenly over the potatoes. Then put your pan in the oven. Time it for 20 minutes so the chicken can cook with the potatoes.
(another hint, if there is some fat on your chicken, leave some on. It will melt into the oil and give the potatoes a yummy flavor)
After 20 minutes or so get your pan out of the oven (with oven mitts) and back onto a hot stove on medium heat. The chicken should be cooked (if not, put it back in the oven), but the potatoes need more cooking. They always do. So while you prep the chicken the potatoes can continue to cook on the stove. Cool huh?
So get the chicken and place it on a cutting board.
Now remove the string or toothpicks. Then begin slicing up the chicken like a loaf of bread. You should have this pretty swirl of chicken, prosciutto, and feta cheese. Do this to both chicken breasts and remember to stir the potatoes a few times while you are doing this.
Once you are done slicing the chicken finish cooking the potatoes. This is the time I add rosemary to the potatoes. Rosemary and potatoes are always a great combo! (PS, I like my potatoes to get nice and brown.)
Now it is time to serve!
Nothing beats a snappy presentation. It will impress your guests and is a definite keeper! Bon appetit!
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