|           HOME           |           RECIPES           |           TIPS & TRICKS           |          

Showing posts with label mozzarella cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mozzarella cheese. Show all posts

Friday, May 23, 2014

Pizza Chicken Roulade

A chicken roulade, in case you were curious, is just a piece of chicken that has been stuffed and then rolled up. With pizza chicken roulades, I stuffed them with the big slices of sandwich pepperoni that you get from the deli and fresh mozzarella and then braised them in tomato sauce. Braising refers to a process where you sear the meat or vegetable either on a grill or in a hot pan, then you finish the cooking process gently by simmering or baking in liquid, usually a sauce.

Pizza Chicken Roulade
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
12 slices of sandwich pepperoni
8 oz fresh mozzarella (not the aged kind)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 jar of pasta sauce
4 pieces of fresh basil

  • Cut the chicken breasts in half length-wise so that you have four thinner pieces of chicken.
  • Place one piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap. With a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or other heavy instrument, pound the chicken flat. It should be about 1/8" thick. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
  • Lay out a piece of chicken, layer 3 slices of pepperoni onto the chicken. Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese, cut into slices. Roll the chicken up. To keep it together, you'll need to place about four toothpicks in there. Repeat with the remaining chicken, pepperoni, and cheese.
  • Heat the oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat.
  • Place the chicken in the pan and sear on both sides for about 2 - 3 minutes per side. The chicken will still be raw in the middle.

  • Pour half of the sauce in the bottom of a 13" x 9" glass baking dish. Place the chicken on top of the sauce in a single layer. Top the chicken with the remaining sauce.
  • Bake at 400° F for 25 - 30 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.

  • Serve on top of rice, pasta, or even roasted vegetables. Garnish with fresh basil.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Bacon Cream Cheese Bites

I had some phyllo dough left over from my post about Spanakopita so I thought I would put it to good use. Phyllo is a traditional Greek pastry dough that is super thin, even thinner than paper. It folds really nicely into triangles and makes a great party appetizer. You can stuff pretty much anything in there as long as it doesn't have too much moisture. I think bacon and cream cheese fit the bill, don't you? ;-)

Bacon Cream Cheese Bites
Makes: 24 triangles

1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt
8 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1 tbsp butter, melted

  • In a skilled over medium-medium-high heat, brown the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Reserve one tablespoon of the drippings.
  • In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic in the bacon drippings over medium-low heat until the onions are soft but not brown, about five to six minutes.
  • In a stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, on medium whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, about two minutes.
  • Add the bacon, onion mixture, scallions, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt. Continue to beat on medium until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Set the mixture aside.
  • Brush a large baking sheet with the melted butter.
  • Now you'll need to assemble the triangles. If you read the next few steps and you have no idea what I'm talking about, see my post about Spanakopita which includes photos.
  • Take one sheet of phyllo dough, use a barely damp paper towel to cover the rest so they don't dry out.
  • Cut the phyllo dough into thirds length-wise with a pizza cutter.
  • Place a small spoonful of the filling at the top and off to the right of one of the strips.
  • Now you'll need to start folding. You fold these like you would a flag. Grab the upper left corner and fold it down to the right so that you form a triangle at the top.
  • Now take the top right corner and fold it straight down.
  • Take the top right corner again and fold it down and over to the left.
  • Take the top left corner and fold it straight down.
  • Repeat until you get to the end and have a perfect triangle. Place it on the buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and filling.
  • If you're making these a day ahead, you can stop at this step, cover it up with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Then place it in the oven the next day about an hour before you're ready to serve.
  • Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.


A few tips:
If you haven't invested in a spatter screen yet, I highly suggest it. They're relatively cheap and will save you from getting popped when you fry stuff such as bacon.

If you're not sure what to do with the rest of the bacon drippings, here's what I do. I line a bowl with aluminum foil then pour the drippings in. Once the drippings are cool, fold it up and chuck it in the trash!