Spring Vegetable Chicken Roulade
Thin chicken breasts rolled up with pancetta, peas, spinach, Parmesan and basil.
Ingredients
For the basil oil:
- 2 cups a large handful basil leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 cup (236 ml) olive oil
For the roulade:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (thick or thin cut)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- ¾ cup (3 ounces/ 83 grams) Pancetta chopped
- ¾ cup (86 grams) shallots, chopped
- ½ cup (70 grams) fresh or frozen peas (no need to defrost)
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 cups (80 grams) fresh spinach
- ½ cup (50 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons basil leaves torn
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- String for tying the rolls
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Make the basil oil:
- Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Add cold water and ice to a bowl. Add the basil leaves and add to the boiling water for only 10 seconds (this sets the green color) and immediately remove and place into the ice water for a few seconds to cool. Remove from the ice water and dry well on a towel.Add the dried leaves to a food processor along with the lemon juice and a small pinch of salt, pepper and half the olive oil. Blend until you see the the leaves breaking up. With the blender running, drizzle in enough oil so the sauce is smooth and is to your desired thickness and texture, you may not use all the olive oil. Strain the oil through a fine sieve and/or cheesecloth so you end up with a nice smooth oil.Transfer the oil to a sealed container and set aside. If not using right away you can refrigerate (it will keep for 1 month). Return to room temperature when serving.
Make the roulade:
- If using thick cut chicken breasts, carefully slice through the chicken breasts lengthwise (skip this step if using thin cut chicken breasts). Place the chicken breasts in between plastic wrap and pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to flatten to an even thickness.
- To a skillet/frying pan add the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring a few times for a few minutes. Add the shallot and cook until the shallots soften, don’t brown (adjust heat as needed). Turn heat down to medium low, add the peas and garlic, stir for 1 minute. Add the spinach, toss well to mix and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove and transfer to a bowl, refrigerate to cool (the filling stays together better when cooled, you can also leave it overnight). I did not salt at this stage because we will be adding Parmesan.
- Add ¼ of the filling to 1 chicken breast, spread into a log shape at the thickest part. Fold the ends and roll the chicken tightly over the filling. You can press any filling back into the ends if any falls out. Tie tightly with string evenly along the roll. Tie some string lengthwise to help keep the filling inside. Season the outside all over evenly with salt and pepper. Repeat with the other chicken breasts.
- To a large skillet/frying pan add the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the roulades. Cook until browned then turn as needed to brown on all sides. You may have to adjust the heat so they brown evenly. Once they have reached an internal temperature of 165°F/73°C, remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove the string and slice to the thickness you like. Serve over polenta.
- Drizzle with basil oil.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 455mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g