French Chicken Roulade

• 6 skinless chicken breasts
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry
• ¼ pound baby bella or wild mushrooms, wiped clean and finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 5 ounces Carr Valley Creama Kasa cheese, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pound the chicken breasts to ½-inch thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap and season them with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, stir together the chopped mushrooms and garlic. On parchment paper or a large plate, place a chicken breast with the smooth side face down. Top with some of the baby spinach, a generous spoonful of the mushroom mixture, and slices of cheese.

Roll up the chicken to form a roulade, tucking in any of the filling that escapes, and secure with wooden picks. Proceed with the remaining chicken and fillings.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken roulades seam side up in the skillet and cook 3 minutes to sear the meat. Transfer the roulades, seam side down and seared side up, to a large roasting pan. Reserve pan juices.

Roast the meat 35 to 45 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roulades reaches 165 degrees. Remove the roulades from the oven and set them aside 10 minutes to rest. To serve, slice each roulade and fan them out on a platter or dinner plates. If desired, serve with Chicken Wine Reduction.

Yield: 6 servings

Chicken Wine Reduction

• 1 small shallot, peeled and minced
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ cup sdry white wine
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

While the chicken roulades are resting, place the skillet with reserved meat juices over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the shallot, and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour in chicken stock, bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.