Chicken Rollatini

Remember how I posted a while ago about "The Best Chicken You'll Ever Eat?" Well, I sincerely apologize, because I may have lied. Last night I made an absolutely fantastic chicken dish. I'm still thinking about it today. The flavors compliment each other perfectly. I can't wait to make it again.

I based it off a Robin Miller recipe, tweaked to our ingredients and liking. I'm sure the original is wonderful, too. The original recipe is here: Robin Miller's Chicken Rollatini.

Photo from www.foodnetwork.com

Chicken Rollatini with Ditalini
Recipe by Robin Miller, adapted
Serves 2 (double for 4 people)
Prep & cook time - about an hour

INGREDIENTS
1 cup dry ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 TBSP butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
2-3 slices proscuitto
2-3 ounces cream cheese (I always use Neufchatel)
1/8 cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of Mozzarella & Cheddar)
1 egg, beaten with 1 TBSP water
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS
Mix together cream cheese & shredded cheese. Place on wax paper and roll into a short, sort of rectangular log. Freeze for about 20 minutes.

Arrange chicken breasts on a flat surface. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of proscuitto. Make sure chicken is pretty well covered. Cut the cream cheese log in half and place on top of the proscuitto. Spread out a bit. Starting from the shorter end, roll up chicken and secure with wooden picks.

Place on a piece of wax paper on a plate or baking sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush beaten egg all over chicken rolls and then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken rolls and cook until golden brown on all sides.

Transfer chicken to baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

When chicken is placed in the oven, cook ditalini according to package directions. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon butter, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.

When chicken is done, remove the toothpicks and serve with the ditalini on the side.

I'm back... with Ziti

I've been on blogging hiatus lately. Beating Bowser in Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii became a priority over the past couple weeks. Fortunately for me (and my cooking skills), we've successfully collected all 120 stars, beaten Bowser twice, and unlocked Luigi to make him playable.

A few days ago, I made a really great baked ziti, and I thought I'd share it with you all. It's a Robin Miller recipe. I'm torn on her. I really like her concept, but most recipes I've tried have just been so-so. This one was great, though. It got a big thumbs up from both of us. This recipe is HUGE, though, so I highly suggest making a 1/2 batch, unless you have a family of 20 or so.

Photo from www.foodnetwork.com

Baked Ziti with Sweet Turkey Sausage
Recipe by Robin Miller
Serves 8-12
Total Cook Time - 1 hr

1 pound ziti noodles
1 pound sweet turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with seasonings (garlic and oregano)
2 teaspoons dried thyme (I omitted both Thyme & Rosemary in favor of Italian Seasoning)
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
(I also added some minced garlic)
1 (15-ounce) container regular or part-skim ricotta cheese
4 cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, reserve 1 cup, for topping (I also added a handful of a shredded cheese blend).
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a hot skillet over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Add tomatoes, thyme and rosemary and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and garlic powder and mix well. Spoon 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish. Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers (remaining ziti and remaining cheese mixture). Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.