Cheesy Chicken Roulades with Pesto Sadaf Khademi

 INGREDIENTS:

  4 chicken breasts (See Kelly's Notes)

  3 cups packed basil leaves, washed and thoroughly dried

  2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

  3 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

  1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for sautéing

  12 thin slices mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place one chicken breast between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper and pound it with a meat tenderizer (or the bottom of a heavy skillet) until it is 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

In a blender, combine the basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pine nuts. Pulse for 15 seconds, then with the blender running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed and continue blending until the pesto is puréed. Taste and season the pesto with salt and pepper.

Spread one-fourth of the pesto on one side of each of the chicken breasts then top the pesto with three slices of mozzarella cheese per chicken breast. Beginning at the shorter end, tightly roll up each chicken breast and secure it with a toothpick. Season the outsides of the roulades with salt and pepper.

Heat two large oven-proof skillets over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the roulades and sear them on all sides until they're browned. Transfer the pans into the preheated oven and bake the roulades until they are cooked throughout and reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Remove the roulades from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks then slice and serve.

 NOTES:

Use chicken breasts that are at least 6 ounces in size, as once pounded thin, they'll provide enough surface area atop which to spread the pesto.

The tighter you roll your roulades, the more uniform of a spiral you'll create.