Recipe: Artichoke-Filled Chicken Rolls

Artichoke-Filled Chicken Rolls

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
6 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
salt
white pepper
6 prosciutto, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the artichokes, cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and basil in a blender or food processor and puree until fairly smooth. Set aside.

Discard tendons and any connective tissue or fat from the chicken breasts, pound with a mallet or other flat instrument to a uniform thickness of about 1/8 inch. Season with salt and pepper.

Top each chicken breast with a slice of Prosciutto cut to fit the shape of the chicken breast, or fold under Prosciutto. Spread Prosciutto with a thin layer of the artichoke mixture.

Roll up jelly-roll style and secure lengthwise with a skewer or toothpicks, or tie crosswise in several places with cotton string or un-waxed dental floss.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saute pan. Add chicken rolls and cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. You can refrigerate in large casserole at this point and finish cooking later. Do not prepare more than two days ahead of time.

When ready to serve remove from refrigerator let stand for 1 hour. You will need to increase cooking time in final step if chicken has been refrigerated.

Transfer the pan (or casserole) to the oven and cook 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Remove the skewers or string. Slice horizontally on a slight diagonal into 1/3 inch-wide pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 12
Source: Pilgrim's Pride Products