Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chicken...check. Cheese...check. Sliced deli meat...check. There are so many varieties of chicken roll-ups that you can make with these ingredient combinations, the most famous being chicken cordon bleu. I do love this dish. In fact I have my own version of Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu that I make quite often. But since you have the freedom to, why not get a little creative with varying flavor combos? You could do a roast beef, cheddar and mushroom chicken roll-up with au jus. Or how about a turkey, cranberry and brie chicken roll-up with gravy? So many possibilities, it makes me want to get cooking this instant!

It just so happened that I had deli ham and provolone in my fridge. Scanning around for more ingredients to build upon, I realized I still had half a jar of spaghetti sauce left. Knowing that I also had some fresh basil and sundried tomatoes, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. (Although I only had ham, prosciutto would probably be the premium choice for the flavor profile I was going for. But stick with ham if that's all you've got.)

So a few chicken beatings, poundings and rollings later...I was ready to bake up my Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups and get my Creamy Tomato Sauce cooking. Served over quinoa, this turns out to be a surprisingly light but filling main course.

 

 

Seeing the insides of the chicken when they are done baking is like opening a present on Christmas morning. Even though you know what's supposed to be inside (let's face it, us grown ups either request or buy our own presents!) it always seems like a surprise when it's all there, baked nice and pretty. You think to yourself, "Did I just make that?!" Yes, yes you did!

 

 

Prosciutto and Provolone Chicken Roll-Ups with a Creamy Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

4 slices provolone

4 slices prosciutto (or deli ham)

4 large basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil

3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes (I use not packed in oil, but either is fine)

2 tablespoons butter

1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup milk (I used skim)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup favorite red spaghetti sauce

1 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free because I accidentally bought it)

1/4 teaspoon salt

pepper

3 cups cooked quinoa

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 X 8 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Trim fat off chicken breasts. On a meat designated cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound into about 1/4" thickness.

 

 

2. Arrange ingredients for roll-up fillings. Generously salt and pepper tops of chicken breasts. Layer two pieces of cheese on top of each chicken, staggered, not completely overlapping. Repeat with two pieces prosciutto. Repeat with two basil leaves. Evenly arrange sundried tomatoes on top.

 

3. Starting from one end, tightly roll chicken, tucking ingredients in as you roll. Secure each breast with 2-3 toothpicks.

 

4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet on medium-medium high heat. Add minced garlic. Lay breasts in skillet and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side, making sure to stir garlic around so it doesn't burn. (The shapes of the rolls are a bit triangular so you will probably end up searing 3 sides as opposed to 4)

 

5. Remove pan from heat and immediately transfer chicken breasts to 8 X 8 casserole pan and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Begin cooking quinoa according to package directions. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 1 cup of cold milk until completely dissolved. Return pan with garlic to medium heat. Pour in milk mixture. Stir until bubbling. Continue to stir for 2 more minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and dash of pepper.

 

6. Add 1 cup spaghetti sauce and 1 oz. cream cheese to saucepan. Stir until cream cheese is completely dissolved. Transfer sauce mixture to blender and blend until completely smooth. If you would like a chunkier sauce, you can skip this step. I prefer the smoothness. Salt and pepper to taste. Set cooked quinoa aside.

 

7. Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

 

8. Slice breasts into half inch slices. Arrange on top of quinoa and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese, optional.

 

Serves 4