Chicken Roulades Stuffed with Roasted Peppers

Some days I look at my photos and feel like I missed my calling as a food stylist. This is not one of those days.

However, as miserably as I failed at producing beautiful chicken roulades and/or photographing them to look that way I can't resist sharing this delicious and fairly easy recipe.

To save time I prepared them in two nights. Night 1: All preparation + browning. Night 2: Baking in the oven, cooling, slicing and serving.

They are photographed with mashed cauliflower topped with dill.



Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 oz chicken breasts each cut crosswise and opened (aka "butterflied")
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained and sliced
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp flour or arrowroot
olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
Line up filleted chicken breasts on a cutting board and spread ricotta evenly over the top of each breast. Sprinkle peppers evenly over ricotta. Roll up (like a burrito) and secure each piece with 1 to 2 toothpicks. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt evenly over chicken. Transfer 2 tbsp flour or arrowroot to a medium sized shallow bowl and dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Mist a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add chicken and cook for about 6 minutes, turning over halfway until golden brown on both sides. Mist a a large baking sheet with cooking spray then carefully transfer chicken to sheet and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Apricot Chicken with Pumpkin Pesto Mash

I just returned from a GORGEOUS weekend in San Francisco where I celebrated my bachelorette party with some of my closest girlfriends. I have been to the city dozens of times in my life and I don't remember it ever being that warm (or that fun, or that big of a blur!) Which made it very hard to return home to cook "fall" recipes. But, alas, nothing can last forever. The weather started to turn last night and today's southern california forecast is calling for rain (gasp!)

The turn in the weather inspired me to search the internet for a squash or pumpkin recipe, preferably something savory, filled with onions and garlic. I got even more than I bargained for when I found this gem which includes all of the above and one of my favorite indulgences...dried apricots.

My only suggestion is to substitute the pumpkin with another squash. The result was delicious and worth it if you have a ton of time on your hands. But if you've ever carved a jack-o-lantern you know how difficult pumpkins are to work with. Also, by time you separate all the seeds and pulp there isn't much meat left. (And the only thing more time consuming than carving one pumpkin would be carving two!)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
40 g dried apricots (about 6-8)
The meat from one small pumpkin/ large squash deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tsp butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls baby spinach, stemmed
olive oil spray
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbs basil pesto
extra baby spinach leaves to serve

Directions:
Place the apricot in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Drain.
Cook the pumpkin/squash in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Add the apricot to the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a small, sharp knife to cut a horizontal slit in the thickest part of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Divide the apricot mixture evenly among the pockets. Seasons with salt and pepper.
Spray a large non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray. Heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Thickly slice.
Drain the pumpkin and return to the pan. Place over medium heat and stir to remove the excess moisture. Stir in the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mash among serving plates. Top with the chicken. Serve with spinach.