Chicken pinwheels

Sitting drinking a glass of wine at 5 o'clock last night at my friend Angie's house, watching our girls play happily outside with a brownie in their mouths, she asks me, 'So, what's for dinner tonight?'  I have to be honest, at 5 o'clock with a glass of pinot grigio in hand, and the girls dessert already consumed I really wasn't thinking or caring what would come next.  The sun was out, three of us friends on the block were enjoying the last evening before the end of school and discussing how hurtful 5 yr old girls can be and feeling protective of our children - wishing we could pick all their friends for all time!  That half an hour of female conversion, aided by the wine and fresh air, was the highlight of my day and I was so reluctant to drag myself away to the daily grind of cooking for my hard working family.  The kids had had a full day of school, my husband had found some work/life balance and desire to be home from work before 5:30 and so life beckoned.  I had to perform some feat of magic and have something on the table within 25minutes or our night would be ruined.

I said, I have some chicken breasts out, but still not sure what I'll do with them, thinking maybe burrito's or chicken skewers with satay sauce. Then, she shared this recipe idea with me and I loved it!  It's a great way to keep the chicken moist and add flavor without having to pour a sauce all over your chicken.  This is always a dilemma for me as my husband thinks chicken is boring and dry on it's own and so we rarely eat it baked without some addition.

I made a seasoned cheese version for the girls which they really enjoyed.  I will be more deceptive with them next time and slip some veggies in there, like spread some pureed butternut squash and finely diced spinach or mushroom but we eased into it this time and they gobbled it up.








Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Boursin spread, (ie. white cheddar and sage or garlic and herb)
2/3 cup mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup cashew nuts, diced
parmesan cheese
2 rosemary sprigs
panko breadcrumbs
butter




* for the kids I used plain cream cheese spread, parmesan and a mild BBQ seasoning for chicken, I had "montreal chicken seasoning".

I will make it again and perhaps try sun dried tomatoes, basil, pine nuts and spinach.  The flavor combinations are endless.  You could try feta, prosciutto and kalamata olives or mushroom, sage, almonds and prosciutto.


Method:

• Preheat the oven to 380'F
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper
• Slice each chicken breast down through the middle to make two even thin slices of chicken
• Spread the boursin spread over the chicken, add the diced mushrooms, rosemary, cashew nuts and shaved parmesan cheese and then roll up and secure with a toothpick.
• Roll the outside of the pinwheel in a little breadcrumbs and place the chicken on the baking tray.
• Cook for approx 20-22 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and browned on the outside, however halfway through the cooking drop a tiny knob of butter on top of the breadcrumbs to enhance the browning process
• Serve with steamed vegetables or salad.