After frying chicken, stuffing chicken is officially my second favorite thing to do. It's genius, it's versatile, and you're guaranteed mouthwatering results, every single time. It only took one stuffed chicken dish to get me hooked. And now, after trying this chicken rollatini stuffed with zucchini and mozzarella, it's safe to say that stuffed chicken has definitely got me in the bag.
I don't remember how or when I found this recipe, but I do remember getting really excited to try it. Truth be told, I've made this dish three times already, this being the fourth time and the only time I had good daylight to photograph it. Hence why I'm finally posting it now. It's so difficult whenever I make something and it comes out really good and I have to wait to share it with you guys. It eats me up inside. It's like not being able to tell someone you're pregnant! Yes, the excitement of good food is equivalent to the excitement of pregnancy to me...I'm totally normal.
It does kind of make sense when you think about it though. If you eat enough of that good food, which you probably will because it's so good, you'll end up with a food baby. So you're excited about a baby, in more or less words.
Right? Okay, I'll lay off the drugs, I promise. But just so you know,
if you do eat a lot of this delicious stuffed chicken, you won't have to feel guilty about it. Wanna know why? Because this recipe only has 171 calories per serving AND it's worth only 4 Weight Watcher points! True story. Gina from Skinnytaste, AKA the original creator of this recipe, did all the calculations herself. She does so for all the recipes on her site, so you should go check it out, especially if you're into low-fat dishes that don't sacrifice any flavor.
This chicken is a prime example of Gina's healthy and delicious motto. The main filling ingredient is nutritious shredded zucchini, which you won't taste much, as it's smothered in Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. This works out perfectly for those who have kids who won't eat their veggies, like my 5 year old nephew. He loved it and was just so consumed by the mozzarella that he had no idea he was munching on some squash!
Aside from the cleverly disguised zucchini, the chicken is dipped in a lemon-oil mixture before breading, which by the way, is absolute perfection. It adds an amazing dimension to the dish and really brings out all the other flavors. And then last but not least, there's the crunchy breadcrumb coating that is baked to perfection and pairs so wonderfully with the tender, and juicy chicken.
This dish is just overall phenomenal and for the first time in my life, I'm actually upset about there not being any leftovers. Because I would be all over them right now.
Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Yield:8 servings
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil4 cloves garlic, chopped1 and 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs1 tablespoon olive oil1 lemon, juice ofdash of pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the garlic and saute for about a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and saute for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread some of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper.Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken.Pour any remaining lemon-oil mixture into the baking dish. You can also sprinkle some of it over the rolled chicken cutlets and then press on any remaining breadcrumbs.Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Skinnytaste
It looks really delicious to me. But I might like to taste the zucchini a bit crunchy, so cut it into thick strips. :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks really delicous! I like stuffed chicken because it keeps the chicken nice and moist - and anything with the words crumbed and mozzarella has to be worth trying :)
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