Description
Impress your guests with these easy Chicken Spinach Cheese Rollatini. Tender chicken breasts are stuffed with a creamy spinach and cheese filling, rolled, seared, and baked in marinara sauce. This dish looks fancy but is surprisingly simple to make.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach (or 1 cup frozen, thawed and drained)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil for garnish
- Kitchen twine or toothpicks
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness between plastic wrap. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- If using fresh spinach, sauté in 1 tbsp olive oil until wilted, cool, and squeeze out excess water. Chop. If using frozen, thaw and squeeze out all water. Chop.
- Combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, minced garlic, nutmeg, and beaten egg in a bowl. Fold in spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread filling over each chicken breast, leaving a border. Roll up tightly from the short end. Secure with kitchen twine or toothpicks.
- Heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear rollatini seam-side down first, then brown all sides (6-8 minutes).
- Transfer rollatini to a baking dish if not using an oven-safe skillet. Pour marinara sauce around the chicken rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove foil, top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature.
- Let rest for 5 minutes. Remove twine or toothpicks. Slice rollatini into rounds. Spoon sauce over and garnish with basil.
Notes
- Serve over pasta, rice, or with a side salad.
- Garlic bread is a great accompaniment.
- A white wine pairs well with this dish.
- For a variation, add sun-dried tomatoes or sautéed mushrooms to the filling.
- You can also roll the outside in seasoned breadcrumbs before searing or use alfredo sauce instead of marinara for a different flavor.
- Turkey rollatini can be made by substituting turkey cutlets for chicken.
- Add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts to the filling for a veggie-packed version.
- Assemble rollatini up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate. Add 5-10 minutes to baking time if cooking from cold.
- Cooked rollatini can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
- The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rollatini
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 120mg