Herbed Cheese and Chicken Rolls

My husband doesn’t work on Wednesdays. Lucky’s, a local grocery store, has double coupons on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday, Lucky’s double coupon meant that chicken breasts were on sale for 99¢ per pound.  My husband came home with enough chicken to open our own restaurant. So, as many of my recipes have, this one started from a sale. I am lucky (pun intended) because this was a stroke of genius. So very good.

You can use different herbs or add more or less, depending upon your taste. I like everything amped up a bit and almost always use more herbs than a recipe calls for.  However, thyme can be powerful, so be careful.

This will make you melt!

Servings: 4-6

Time:  Prep: 20 minutes   Cooking:  40-45 minutes

Hardware:  A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and cups, a small mixing bowl, a mixer, a rubber spatula, 9“x 13” glass baking dish, mallet and plastic wrap (optional), a thermometer

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ 1b boneless skinless chicken breast
• 6 ounces softened creamed cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives (1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 cloves garlic
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• Salt & pepper
• 1 ½ cups Ranch salad dressing (you can make your own)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives for garnish
• Cooking spray

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚. Spray the dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Mince the herbs and garlic. Use the mixer to combine them with the cream cheese, Parmesan and sour cream. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Cut the breast so that you create wide, flat pieces. You may make them even flatter by sandwiching them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pounding them with the mallet. I have found that if you have a sharp enough knife and cut carefully, this isn’t necessary.
4. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken pieces. Start from a short end and place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling on a chicken piece. Tightly roll up and place the chicken roll into the prepared dish, seam side down. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. If you have any leftover stuffing set it aside, but DO NOT EAT IT.  It has been cross contaminated and must be cooked to be safe.
5. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and cover each roll in Ranch dressing. If you had any leftover stuffing put it in a little heap in the corner of the dish.
6. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for 20-25 more minutes or until the chicken is 160˚.
7. To serve, mix everything left in the dish together and spoon over the roll ups and sprinkle them with chopped fresh chives and black pepper.

Herbed Cheese and Chicken Rolls