Date Night: Baked Chicken Roulade

Well, Monday has come to an end. That means tomorrow is Tuesday, which bums me out just a little bit. Tuesdays are always the hardest day of the week for me. Think about it - what's special about Tuesday? Sure, Monday kinda stinks because the weekend is over and we're back in the office (or back to doing whatever it is we're obligated to do during the week), but at least we're somewhat refreshed from our two days off. Wednesday is hump day, so once it's over we can rejoice that we're more than halfway through the week...and that much closer to Saturday. Thursday is, well, the day before Friday...and we're all thankful for Friday. What does Tuesday really bring us? What can we look forward to when we look at the calendar and see that it's...ugh, only TUESDAY?

Well, I've got an idea. Why not make Tuesday night an almost-middle-of-the-week treat? Make it date night! And no, I don't mean that you'll need to spend hours in the kitchen just to make a meal that you'll be way too tired to enjoy. Believe it or not, there are plenty of recipes that look like they took all day but require under an hour to prepare, cook and get on the table. Today's recipe comes from Southern Living's March 2012 edition, and it is a huge hit with my husband. I follow the recipe exactly and keep the extra for leftovers. It works perfectly! I've already given you the recipe for the roasted red potatoes that I paired with the chicken in the picture below, and you can find it here. The whole dish takes me roughly 50 minutes from start to finish!

Baked Chicken Roulade

  4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 (5 oz) package fresh baby spinach

4 garlic cloves, minced and divided

2 tsp olive oil

12 fresh asparagus spears

5 tbs butter, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbs dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbs parsley flakes

2 tbs drained capers

Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with meat mallet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Saute spinach and 2 minced garlic cloves in 2 tsp hot oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat 1 minute or until the spinach starts to wilt. Transfer the mixture to a plate and wipe skillet clean.

Spoon the spinach mixture over each breast, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Top with 3 spears of asparagus per chicken breast and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. 

Melt 3 tbs butter with 2 tbs olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. 

Melt remaining 2 tbs butter in skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining garlic. Saute 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add white wine, stirring constantly for one minute. Whisk in chicken broth and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in capers and parsley and spoon sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.

Happy to see how easy this fabulous dish really is? Surprise your significant other with this date-night worthy meal and make your Tuesday night a great night!

Until next time...

Cheers!