Chicken Roulade with Spinach and Prosciutto
This is no ordinary chicken dinner! Layers of chicken, spinach, prosciutto, basil, and cheese, rolled into a spiral and coated with bread crumbs create a scrumptious savory roulade!
Ingredients
- 2 whole boneless chicken breasts cut into 4 halves
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- garlic powder
- crushed red pepper
- 1 Lemon zested and quartered
- 3 ounces sliced prosciutto
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 ounces fresh baby spinach 1/2 of a 6 oz bag
- Fresh Basil Leaves optional
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preparing the Chicken Cutlets
- Lay each half chicken breast on top of a cutting board, "flat" side down (see photo). Cut horizontally through the thickest part of the breast without separating completely.
- Fold the top portion over (see photo).
- Place sheets of plastic wrap under and over the chicken and pound with a meat tenderizer (or rolling pin), starting in the middle and working outward, until the chicken breast is approximately 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with each of remaining 3 breast halves.
- Depending on the size of the cutlets, each may be cut in half. Ideally, each cutlet should be about 5-6 inches wide and 6-7" long. The cutlets are unlikely to be equally sized.
Layering the Roulades
- Sprinkle each cutlet with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder. Divide lemon zest among cutlets.
- Place a layer of prosciutto on each cutlet.
- Divide the Parmesan and mozzarella between the cutlets.
- Divide the spinach and basil (optional) between the cutlets.
Rolling and Dredging the Roulades
- Roll up each cutlet lengthwise, tucking the toppings in as the roll progresses. Secure the roll with two or three toothpicks if necessary.
- Line up three pans/dishes and put the flour in one, the eggs (whisked with the water) in another, and the bread crumbs in another. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in the pan of flour and the pan of bread crumbs. Stir to distribute the seasonings in each pan.
- Roll each roulade in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside.
Browning and Baking the Roulades
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter. When butter has melted and begins to brown, add cutlets (light sizzling should occur), making sure not to crowd the pan. (If the cutlets won't all fit in the pan, see note below for more instructions.)
- Brown for 2-3 minutes on each side, increasing or reducing heat to brown evenly.
- Add lemon quarters to the skillet and place skillet in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Slice through the center of one cutlet to ensure the chicken is cooked properly and no pinkness remains.
- Remove all toothpicks and serve. Risotto or roasted potatoes make an excellent side dish.
Notes
If the skillet is not large enough to accommodate all the cutlets at once, complete the browning process in two steps. Place half of the cutlets in the pan to brown. Remove the browned cutlets to a rimmed cookie sheet or stoneware pan and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and butter to pan, and repeat browning process for remaining cutlets. Add these cutlets to the pan with the first and continue with the recipe as directed.
In these pictures, I used a baking stone. Because stoneware requires more time to heat properly, place the stone in the oven as it preheats and remove when the first batch of cutlets have been browned.
When working in batches, residual heat will continue to cook the first cutlets. Check on these cutlets after 7-8 minutes, allowing the second batch to bake for the entire 10 minutes.
Browning a large number of cutlets can also be accomplished using two skillets at the same time. Simply divide the total amount of oil and butter between the two pans and proceed as instructed.