More Than You Can Chew — More Than You Can Chew

Let me tell you why I so excited about this recipe. Well for starters, I genuinely did not expect it to come out as good as it did! I’ve made a version of this a while back, you know, before blogging, and it turned out just okay. I can’t pinpoint what went wrong the last time but it just was not the same. Wait no, I know exactly what it was, there wasn’t any bacon! Seriously the bacon makes this dish everything!

The other thing about this recipe is that it was easy AF to put together! I would say one of the key components was beating the shit out of that chicken breast. Not only does it make it very easy to roll, but it was legit a fun time! You also have the option of buying pre-sliced chicken that are perfectly thin enough for rolling but it takes all the fun out of it! Just slice a regular chicken breast in half and go to town! Just remember to cover it with plastic wrap first otherwise you’ll end up with a massacred chicken mess.

After you punish the chicken, you have to layer your filling. We, well mostly Devin, decided to use mozzarella, mushroom and, of course, bacon. I threw in the spinach for some color. I really doesn’t matter what you decide to fill with, but we found that this flavor combination was too good to pass on. One tip is that you should try to use the “creamy” shredded mozzarella. Kraft has a “creamy shredded mozzarella” that has cream cheese in it and it unbelievable! This is in no way sponsored or anything, I truly believe this!

Rolling the chicken is much easier than it may seem at first. The trick is to roll pretty tight so that the filing doesn’t fall out and all the flavors can fuse together. Secure the end with the toothpick and that’s it! Jus make sure to take them out when it’s done cooking!

Now on to the panko coating. This is optional but I really do think it makes a difference. The last time I made these roll ups, I didn’t coat them in any type of breadcrumbs, and it was seriously lacking. Most recipes online will say to dip the rolls in milk before breading them. But I once read a comment on one of the recipes I saw and it said that instead of milk, she used yellow mustard. I thought that was so genius! However, Instead of yellow mustard, I used Dijon because I’m bougie and not sorry about it! But anyway, the mustard gives it another added layer of flavor while also helping the breadcrumbs to stick perfectly.

This isn’t specifically stated in the recipe, but I also season the panko crumbs with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but if it didn’t seem obvious to you then it’s your reward for actually reading the blog post! I am truly thankful for that! So, now you’re ready to pop these bad boys in the oven and wait. I’d use this time to make your side dish. This particular time I made goat cheese mash potatoes. And I promise I will post a recipe for this because it was on point!!

Once the chicken is done go ahead and slice them. Not only does this show all the goodness inside but also helps to remind you that there are toothpicks still in them! Please take those out! Now that you’ve avoided being attacked by your dinner, it's time to eat!

Let me know in the comments if you thought this recipe was as damn good as I did! Did you follow the recipe to a tee or try anything different? Let me know!

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Bacon, Mushroom & Mozzarella Chicken Roll Ups

by Jasmine Nichole Sanders

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves
4 slices of bacon
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 oz. portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 tbsp. butter (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
6-8 toothpicks
Instructions
Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat a skillet on medium heat and cook bacon until well done. Break bacon into large pieces. Cook mushrooms in bacon grease or in one tablespoon of butter in a clean skillet. Cook for 4 mins then set aside.
Lay chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a layer of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, beat chicken until flatten to about 1/4 inch. Remove plastic wrap layer and season with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano. One chicken breast at a time, layer bacon pieces, cheese, mushrooms then spinach on top of chicken. Begin to roll chicken tightly, starting from the thinner side. Secure end with 1-2 toothpicks.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Brush chicken rolls with Dijon mustard and coat each with panko crumbs. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 mins.
When chicken is done baking, cool for 5 minutes then slice 1/2 inch thick slices. Garnish with parsley and serve.