I love this time of year. The house gets a fresh, top to bottom scrubbing, lavish meals are planned, family gathers. It always seem so warm and cozy to me, even when the weather is cold and windy. Okay, so maybe it's not so warm and cozy when your dumping ice out of buckets and what not but you get my meaning.
This year the house got more than a scrubbing. We repainted the living room walls. They used to be a really dark red and there were gold curtains. Now, its a beautiful, creamy, buttery yellow with white lace curtains that let the light in. Feels so much better in here. I love the light, I love the bigger, nicer feel to the room.
This time of year, many are planning their Thanksgiving day feast. But what do you do when you are sick to death of turkey and ham but don't still want something light for dinner? The answer is, you make Rolled Chicken. It's a bit of work, but the meal is worth it.
For Rolled Chicken
You chop small and fry in olive oil:
Green peppers (any color of bell pepper you like)
Onions
carrots
mushrooms
and garlic
season it all with a palm full of parsley, a dash or two of cilantro, salt, pepper, and oregano. (how much of each is determined by your taster)
How much of each is dependent on how many chicken breasts you have, how much you want to put inside the chicken rolls and so on and so forth. Having extra isn't a bad thing.
While that is finishing up frying (you want the carrots tender), place a chicken breast inside a large plastic bag (we use a gallon sized), lay it on the counter, grab your rolling pin, a beat the tar out of it until it's good and flat. Do that with each chicken breast. This is a great stress reliever.
When they are sufficiently subdued, lay them out on a couple of cookie sheets. Then spread them with spicy mustard. It must be the brown spicy mustard, regular mustard just doesn't cut it.
Then spread the veggie mixture over the chicken breasts.
Then, starting on one end, roll the chicken up and secure them with tooth picks. This we have found is an acquired skill. Don't be discouraged if it takes a bit of trial and error to get the toothpicks to perform as expected.
Then, beat an egg with 1/4 cup of water. Dip the chicken in the egg/water mixture and roll in bread crumbs seasoned with a little salt,pepper, and parsley. Then place in the pan recently vacated by the yummy veggies and brown them. You may need to add a bit more oil.
Then place on a large cooking sheet
and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.
Remove toothpicks before serving. You can cut the breasts in half (they are pretty large after being pounded out and rolled up with veggies) or you can slice them into medallions.
Then serve to your family who has been waiting anxiously for the wonderful smelling food.
We serve ours with brussel sprouts fried in bacon grease, creamed peas and pearl onions, and potatoes mashed with butter,sour cream and chives.
My family devours this meal.
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