Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Everyone (including myself) was impressed at the fact that chicken could taste this good! Maybe it was a good day- but the chicken was not dry at all. A rarity for me. Mascarpone is a sweet italian cheese- somewhat similar to the texture of cream cheese- although that taste is much different. It isn't as tangy as cream cheese. Mascarpone is a bit more expensive than cream cheese $5 versus $2 for 8 ounces, but it is oh so goooood. Next time I'm going to try cream cheese to see if it'll work. I also added the juice of the lemon (I read the recipe wrong) and I used 2 teaspoons dried thyme instead of fresh thyme. Still tasted great! The tang from the lemon was probably my favorite part of this recipe.

8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound each)
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine mascarpone, garlic, thyme, parmesan, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.

Butterfly each chicken breast (slice through the middle of the breast, keeping one side in tact). Place chicken breast in between two layers of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet or a heavy pan, pound the chicken until it is 1/4 inch thick.

Lay the chicken breast flat and season it with salt and pepper. Divide the mascarpone filling over each of the breasts. Starting at the shortest end of the chicken breast, roll up tightly, tucking in ends to secure. Secure with one toothpick each.Season once again with salt and pepper.

Heat some olive oil in an oven-safe saute pan (or if yours is not oven safe you can transfer the chicken to a 13 x 9) over medium-high heat. Add the roulades and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side (I did about 7.5 minutes total and that seemed to work perfectly). Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the internal temperature is 165 degrees and juices run clear, about 10 minutes.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving (don't skip this step!). Remove toothpick, slice and serve.

source: recipe adapted from Kelsey's Kitchen

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