Description
Chicken Roulade is a flavorful and elegant dish featuring thinly pounded chicken breasts rolled with crispy bacon, steamed broccoli, cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses, then seared and baked to perfection. This recipe is perfect for a comforting yet impressive main course served alongside classic sides like mashed potatoes and green beans.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Dairy
- 4 strips bacon, drippings reserved
- 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ¼ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Vegetables
- 1 cup broccoli, steamed and finely diced
Seasonings and Others
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup flour (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 375° F to prepare for baking the chicken roulade later.
- Cook the bacon and prepare broccoli: Slowly cook the bacon strips over low heat until crispy, reserving the drippings. Once cooled, roughly chop the bacon. Steam or boil the broccoli for 7 minutes until tender, then dice finely.
- Prepare the chicken breasts: Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and gently pound each breast to an even thickness of ¼ inch to avoid tearing, ensuring smoothest side faces down for rolling.
- Assemble the roulade: Evenly spread shredded cheddar cheese over the center of the flattened chicken, then add diced broccoli and chopped bacon on top.
- Roll and secure: Starting from the narrow side, carefully roll the chicken up tightly, tucking the filling inside. Place roll seam-side-down and tie with kitchen twine to hold shape.
- Season and flour the chicken: Season the outside with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika. Optionally dust lightly with flour to promote browning and prevent sticking during searing.
- Sear the roulade: Heat 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon drippings in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken rolls on all sides for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown crust forms. Remove kitchen twine at this point.
- Bake the roulade: Transfer the seared chicken rolls to a lightly greased baking dish, seam-side-down. Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes until fully cooked.
- Rest and serve: Let the roulade rest for 5 to 8 minutes after baking. Check that the thickest part of the chicken has reached 165° F. Serve warm with mashed potatoes and green beans or preferred sides.
Notes
- If using smaller chicken breasts, use 4 breasts instead of 2 and butterfly each without cutting through the seam before pounding.
- Pound chicken to no thicker than ¼ inch to ensure it cooks evenly and rolls without tearing.
- Use the smooth side of a meat mallet and protect chicken with saran wrap to prevent damage while pounding.
- The tenderloin can separate from the breast during pounding; remove and save it for soups or other recipes.
- Stuffing combinations can be varied—refer to the original blog post for creative alternatives.
- For make-ahead convenience, prepare the roulade, wrap tightly, and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze for 3 months. Thaw completely before cooking.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months for later enjoyment.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roulade
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
