Similar to my “Stuffed” Flounder recipe I posted not too long ago, this is a dish that is SUPPOSED to be a cute lil roll-up. And, once, again, I couldn’t get mine to roll. Instead of wrapping the chicken around the basil and roasted red peppers, I just had to lay them on top. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was really really delicious…but, it would’ve been so much cuter as a roll-up!
What am I doing wrong? I pounded the chicken as much as I could without tearing it. I think it might be because I buy frozen chicken. And let’s face it, the frozen chicken breasts from Wal Mart and not exactly the highest quality. The breasts usually start out very thick but narrow, i.e. the worst shape for rolling. I thaw the chicken and then pound it, but it just starts out so thick (like 3 inches tall) that it never gets as thin as it should without me destroying the meat. *sigh* what’s a gal to do?
Oh well, even though these aren’t wrapped up in a cute lil package, they still look and taste great. So give these a shot, and hopefully yours will flatten/roll better than mine!
Basil Mozzarella Chicken
Source: Right at Home
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 small (4 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 large, fresh basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
4 pieces roasted red pepper (available in jars), about 2 inches by 5 inches
4 ounces shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (about 12 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups canned, plain tomato sauce
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place 2 chicken breasts in a 1 gallon ziploc and seal. Working from the thinnest to the thickest part of the chicken breast, pound each piece with a rolling pin, meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, being careful not to tear the meat, until it is 1/4-inch thick and approximately the size and shape of a 4-by-8-inch rectangle. Remove the chicken from the bag and set aside on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13 non-aluminum baking dish that’s at least 2 inches deep, and distribute sauce evenly over bottom of dish.
Place the rolled chicken breasts, seam side down, in the baking dish. Top each roll with the remaining 1/2 cup of tomato sauce (about 2 Tablespoons each) and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
4 thoughts on “Basil Mozzarella Chicken”