Get my Cookbooks! Chicken Roulade
This Chicken Roulade recipe has a delicious broccoli cheese stuffing with crispy bacon! This recipe pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes and green beans and is a restaurant quality meal you can make right at home.
Be sure to try my Chicken and Orzo recipe next!
Chicken Roulade
This incredible Chicken Roulade is the best way to transform chicken breast and other everyday ingredients into a restaurant-quality meal! The stuffing options are endless, but you can’t beat melted cheddar cheese with broccoli and crispy bacon! (That was the clear winner on my Instagram poll!)
Bonus: This is easy to prepare ahead of time! Scroll down for an easy visual on how to make this, and don’t miss my pro tips below!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cut the chicken in half lengthwise to create two thinner slices. Pound to 1/4-inch thick.
Top with shredded cheese, broccoli, and bacon. Roll tightly, starting at the narrow end, tucking the stuffing in as you roll. Place seam-side-down.
Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika. (Optional: Sprinkle with flour.) Tie with kitchen twine and sear on all sides until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes. Ensure internal temperature is 165° prior to serving.
Pro Tips
- It’s important to pound the chicken thin, (no thicker than 1/4-inch), because it plumps up more when cooked. This is the most time-consuming part and it takes some patience to avoid tearing the chicken.
- Use the smooth side of a meat mallet and protect the chicken with a freezer bag or saran wrap.
- The tenderloin may want to separate from the breast. (See a visual here.) It’s okay to cut the tenderloin off and pound the rest thin. It can be saved for a future meal or frozen for soup, etc.
- Always place the smoother side of the chicken down and the more textured side facing up. This way the outside has a smoother texture when you roll it up.
- Ensure the thickest part of the meat is about 165° when you pull it from the oven. It will rise a few more degrees as it rests, so a few degrees shy of 165° is perfect.
Make-Ahead Method
- Cook stuffing ingredients (if needed), pound the chicken, stuff, and roll.
- Roll each one tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before searing/baking.
- Don’t sear or bake until ready to serve.
Stuffing Options
I use about 2 cups of filling for 4 chicken rolls (or a heaping 1/4-cup each). Make sure your ingredients are fully cooked and only require heating through.
- Sundried Tomatoes, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese
- Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, and Feta
- Ham and Cheddar or Swiss
- Prosciutto and Mozzarella
- Brie and Cranberry
- Artichokes and Parmesan
- Herb Cream Cheese and Mushrooms
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze and reheat well!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Meat Mallet– This is the one I have, I use it almost every time I cook.
- 8-inch Chef’s Knife– This is the one I have, I love it.
- Cutting Boards- I love having assorted sizes.
- 7-inch Baking Dish
- Meat Thermometer– Ensure the thickest part of the meat is about 165° when you pull it from the oven. It will rise a few more degrees as it rests, so a few degrees shy of 165° is perfect.
Try These Next
-
- Beefaroni
-
- Chicken and Orzo
-
- Apple Pork Chops
-
- Chicken Taco Soup
-
- Hot Honey Chicken
-
- Chicken Corn Chowder
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Tried This Recipe?
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Chicken Roulade
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon, drippings reserved
- 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts, or 4 small. See notes
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, paprika
- ¼ cup flour, optional
- 1 cup broccoli, steamed and finely diced.
- 1 ¼ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Cook the bacon slowly over low heat until crispy. Reserve the drippings and set aside. Roughly chop once cooled. Steam or boil the broccoli for 5-7 minutes, until desired doneness is obtained, and dice it finely.
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and pound it to an even thickness of ¼-inch. Do this gently to avoid tearing the chicken. Note that the chicken plumps more when cooked.
- Ensure that the smoothest side of the chicken is facing down, this way it has the smoothest surface when it’s rolled.
- Evenly distribute the cheese over the middle of the chicken, followed by the broccoli, then the bacon.
- With the narrow side of the chicken facing you, slowly roll the chicken upwards, tucking the stuffing in as you go. Place it seam-side-down.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and paprika. Optional: Sprinkle the chicken with flour, this will help give it a browner color when seared. It also helps it not stick to the skillet.
- Use kitchen twine to tie the chicken rolls in place.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Olive oil can be used instead of drippings if needed, or a combination of both.)
- Add the chicken and sear on all sides until a golden crust forms, about 4-5 minutes total. The middle will still be uncooked. (This is when I typically cut off the kitchen twine.)
- Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish, seam-side-down. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Remove and let rest for 5-8 minutes. Ensure the thickest part of the meat has reached 165° F prior to serving. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans!
Notes
Pro Tips:
- It's important to pound the chicken thin, (no thicker than 1/4-inch), because it plumps up more when cooked. This is the most time-consuming part and it takes some patience to avoid tearing the chicken.
- Use the smooth side of a meat mallet and protect the chicken with a freezer bag or saran wrap.
- The tenderloin may want to separate from the breast. (See a visual here.) It's okay to cut the tenderloin off and pound the rest thin. It can be saved for a future meal or frozen for soup, etc.
- See blog post for additional stuffing combination options!
Make-Ahead Method:
- Cook stuffing ingredients (if applicable), pound the chicken, stuff, and roll.
- Roll each one tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before searing/baking.
- Don't sear or bake until ready to serve.
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze and reheat well!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 4 servings.
This was a hit at my house! My son and some friends came over after basketball practice and I made these for them as a snack. These teenage boys can EAT so this was the perfect protein-packed treat for them. Your directions are so detailed and I love to read all your tips before I begin. I used the same ingredients you did for my first try. I’m so glad I did because the flavors complemented each other perfectly. I’m going to make these regularly from now on because the kids are now obsessed. Thank you!
I’m so happy this was such a hit with the teenage boys! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review Cindy!🩷
THE CHICKEN ROULADE LOOKS MARVELOUS