Simmered in a homemade Italian marinara, this rollatini is impressive to see and taste. With this technique, you can stuff the chicken with your own preferences.
This dish was inspired from a dismal Chicken Cordon Bleu at a university dining hall on the day we moved our oldest son to college. When I got home, I had this itch for stuffed chicken and thought to go a bit bolder than the traditional ham and cheese stuffing. Pepperoni and smoked Gouda came to mind, and from the pepperoni theme, I completed it with Italian marinara on a bed of penne pasta and grilled vegetables.
Similar to my Chicken Cacciatore, this chicken dish creates an unbelievably delicious marinara sauce from simmering the meat. You have a lot of room to customize the recipe, both with the sauce and the stuffing of the chicken. Because chicken is relatively mild in flavor, bold-flavored stuffing ingredients work best.
Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp Italian herbs
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 x 15oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 x 15oz cans tomato sauce
Directions for the Marinara Sauce
Heat a Dutch oven on the stovetop with 1 Tbsp olive oil to medium-high. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onions and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, and the carrot through diced tomatoes. Mix and saute for 3 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low, mix in the garlic and simmer for 2 minutes.
Mix in the tomato sauce and set heat to low, cover, and let simmer while you prepare the chicken.
Ingredients for the Chicken Rollatini
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5-2 lbs total)
1/4 lb deli-sliced pepperoni
1/3 lb sliced smoked Gouda cheese
Kosher salt and ground black pepper for seasoning
Garlic powder and Italian herbs for seasoning
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions for the Chicken Rollatini
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Slice the chicken breasts so they are half as thick, which will then give you 4 thinner chicken breasts to work with.
Cover a breast with clear plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with the other three breasts.
Season one side of a breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian herbs. Flip the breast and lay two slices of pepperoni on the unseasoned side. Cut a slice of Gouda in half and lay the two halves on the pepperoni where you can roll up the chicken breast around the stuffing. Repeat with the other three breasts.
Heat a large pan to medium-high with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Generously coat the rolled breasts in flour, and when the olive oil shimmers, add the breasts and brown them all around. Work in batches, if necessary, adding more oil as needed.
In the Dutch oven with the marinara sauce, nestle the rollatini, spooning sauce over-top to ensure the rolls are covered. Scrape any juices from the pan into the Dutch oven.
Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, uncover to cool slightly, and serve.
Tags: #cheese #chicken #italian #pepperoni
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