Spinach Chicken Roll Ups with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

After cooking two lasagnas for my in-laws for Christmas, I found myself with quite a bit of ricotta and mozzarella left over.  To use them up without making another stuffed or baked pasta dish, I came up with this recipe for Spinach Chicken Roll Ups.  By adding ricotta to the spinach and mozzarella in the filling, the chicken is kept moist and delicious while cooking.  Mozzarella and ricotta are both fairly mild though, so for an extra burst of flavor, I added a roasted red pepper sauce. 

When trying out this recipe, I made two different sauces.  One was a lighter sauce with red peppers, garlic, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar.  It was very good; however, the sauce that won out is much richer and creamier, featuring red peppers, garlic, half and half, and parmesan cheese.  Now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I needed a taste test to tell me that people would prefer the cheesy, creamy sauce!  It is delicious, and if you have extra sauce, it is wonderful over pasta for an easy weeknight meal.

This recipe is definitely a home run.  While it has a few steps, it is fairly easy to make and will definitely impress!

 

Spinach Chicken Roll Ups with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

salt

pepper

5 ounces fresh spinach

6 ounces ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

olive oil

2 large roasted red pepper, roughly chopped (jarred is fine, or follow these instructions to roast your own!)

3 clove garlic

1 cup half and half or heavy cream

1/4 cup romano cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, giving you 8 pieces.  Pound with a meat mallet to 1/4 inch thin.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Wash the spinach.  With the leaves still wet, put the spinach in a large skillet.  Cover and cook over medium heat until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.  Squeeze out any excess water from the spinach and roughly chop.
4. In a bowl, stir the spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese until thoroughly combined.
5. Spread a layer of the cheese and spinach mixture over each piece of chicken.  Leave about 1/4 to 1/2 inch around the edges of the chicken.
6. Starting at the thinner side, roll up each chicken breast and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Secure with a toothpick. 
7. Drizzle each roll up with olive oil to make the chicken brown nicely and to keep moist.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear.  Cook time will depend on how thick you made the chicken.
8. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender combine the roasted red pepper, garlic, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Blend until pureed.
9. Put the red pepper puree in a skillet and bring to a boil.  Reduced heat to a simmer and add the half and half and parmesan cheese.  Stir until incorporated and the cheese has melted.  Add the butter and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 
10. Once the chicken is done, top with the roasted red pepper sauce.  Serve hot.

Ryan's rating of Spinach Chicken Roll Ups with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - 5.  Absolutely delicious!

 

Comments

[Jeanne]

Chicken roll-ups are a regular in our house, but we usually use goat cheese. The ricotta & mozzarella mixture was very good. This sauce is so delicious! Luckily, we have lots of left-overs.

[Sue]

Wow, you made it already! So glad you liked it. The sauce is great for pasta, and I bet it would make for a unique pizza sauce as well!  

[Sean]

Yummo. I found that the cheese mixture kind of bled out while cooking, so I think I will add a beaten egg next time to firm it up, maybe some rolled oats as well. Overall quite ballsmashing.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=14311367]

Honestly, you came up with this?! Incredible. You never cease to amaze me. I love the red pepper puree idea. Will you be regaling us with any of these goodies at the end of the month? I know making large amount of this may be hard, but I'm volunteering to get my hands dirty. Woo!

[Sue]

Sean, thats a great hint! If you try that next time and it works let me know! Shannon, I see no reason why we cant just make enough for us and eat it secretly while everyone else at the party is eating chips and salsa. Hopefully none of the people invited read my blog.

[Momma C]

I played sous chef for Suz last night when she made this. Amazing. I love the pepper sauce. Can't wait to make this for Charlie.