Chicken and Asparagus Roulades
PUBLISHED ON: 06.17.2010
This recipe is from my friend Joel. We were friends in junior high, high school and are both part of the Gator Nation (Alumni of the University of Florida). We have reconnected through facebook and he is still exactly how I remember him. The only difference is that he is older, which he emphatically denies but, I know it for a fact.
Joel is a picky eater, at least that is what he tells me. He shared with me a really good chicken roulade recipe that his family has been recently enjoying.
For you to get a sense of who Joel is I have only slightly revised his written directions to me on preparing his new favorite dish. I think his directions will put a smile on your face, and his face too, if you leave a comment for him.
His note to me: Velveeta, the instructions were rather confusing, so here is what I actually did.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Fill a big pan with water and turn on the heat to bring to a slight boiling point. Add some salt, maybe a tablespoon or so, and then simmer the asparagus in it 4-5 minutes. Taste one after 4 minutes to see if it’s done. if not, just give a little extra time. Then put the asparagus aside and let it cool off.
I said the hell with overlapping, pounding and fusing as stated in the original recipe (Told you, I ain’t no gourmet chef). I simply laid out the 8 thin-sliced chicken breasts on plastic wrap, added salt and pepper to taste, and threw in some Italian seasonings (which was not part of the recipe, but which I like and which added flavor.)
I used provolone instead of Swiss because the wife does not care for Swiss.
Place one breast down, salt/pepper/Italian season it.
Add cheese slice (broken up if necessary, to fit the size of the chicken breast, but not too close to the edges).
Stick in about 4 asparagus pieces, roll it up tightly (as tightly as possible, as this is not easy). Dip in flour that I dumped out on a plate, added toothpicks to hold together.
Then pan fry on medium heat to brown on all sides, which is not easy because of the toothpicks, but it is still manageable. (It has been suggested to me that I use twine instead of toothpicks, which I may try next time).
Then put in the oven 15 minutes. No need to begin preheating the oven until you start the pan frying.
By the way, when I was done cooking it, I said “never again!”, because it was too much hassle, but after tasting it, and seeing the wife go back for seconds, I might have to reconsider.
In actuality, the only real hassle was figuring out the #!!##% directions that I had. Use my directions, and it will go pretty easy. It was worth it.
Joel Greene
Angie's Recipes
Chicken roulades sound very healthy and flavourful.
Julie
These look delicious! Fun post! Thanks for sharing.
Cool Lassi(e)
Very nice and gourmet-like!
Adventures in Domestic Cooking
Looks fantastic!!Job well done=)
Rebecca
Looks like chicken sushi 🙂 hahah! …and it looks so healthy!
TKW
It does look like chicken sushi! Very elegant!
Pam
Yum!!! It looks delicious with all those good ingredients!
Andrea the Kitchen Witch
What a yummy combo! I want to make this before asparagus goes out of season, sounds yummy!! I 100% agree, rolling chicken is a serious PITA but the flavor results are so worth it 🙂
Rosaria Williams
Oh Fun! Now Joel is taking on the cooking/directions part. Great recipe!
Eliana
Great recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types
What a beautiful presentation – that looks just amazing on the plate!
Chef E
I also need to get some more asparagus, and may raid my friends yard for purple ones, this is a great way to make us of the ingredients my dear!
The JR
Looks like a good recipe. Glad you've reconnected with your friend.
♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥
Hi VElva, love the sweet story as muc as the recipe!!!So delicious!!Bookmarked!!lOve u stopping by , but have moved to a new blog now:-)http://brightmorningstarsfoodie.blogspot.com/Have a super day!!!
Barbara
Cute post!That is a lovely presentation, Velva! And it looks delicious. How clever to serve it with the wild rice…a perfect foil!
Magic of Spice
Just beautiful…Very nice blog you have here…
Ana Powell
Very elegant and delicious ♥
Carol
Great story, LOL, I love Joel's directions! Especially he'll have to make it again for his wife, too funny! It looks fantastic! Love the wild rice with it!
Claudia
Now those are directions I can wrap my wooden spoon around! I love it – the flavors, the siimplicity and the presentation!
pam
How funny! Love the directions. He's right, trying to brown something with toothpicks sticking out is not easy.
Fartman
That better not be Thad and Beyonce roulades . . .
My Little Space
They look so pretty! Just what I need right now. So hungry…. Yummm…mm…. Hope you're having a great day!Cheers, Kristy
tasteofbeirut
These are lovely to eat and very nicely presented; like that side dish of rice as well.
Lorraine
Great recipe Joel! I love dishes like this..everything rolled in one:) Thanks for making the recipe easier to follow..lol. Will definitely give it a try. Like your choice of cheese too.
We Are Not Martha
Awww I loved reading his directions! Reconnecting with old friends is the best 🙂 Sues
Anonymous
These look very pretty with asparagus inside!
Unknown
this is great!! love the direct, personal instructions! Looks like a great dish
FOODESSA
I lost count of how many dishes I thought of never wanted to do again because they were a tad more work then anticipated. Only to change my mind once I had tasted it. Great for Joel to take on this meal challenge.It was nice of him to share such a nice recipe.Flavourful wishes, Claudia
Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen
Your chicken roulades are beautiful Joel. You certainly put a smile on my face with your frustration of the instructions in the recipe. Don't you wonder if people if ever ready their recipes? Sometimes I think not.Sam
From the Kitchen
Delicious and it looks wonderful on the plate! I, too, get frustrated with recipes. My worst faux pas was preparing to make a sauerbraten for guests on a Saturday. I got everything ready but, since I didn't read the entire recipe, I missed the part that said \”marinate for four days\”!! We had steaks instead. Isn't it fun to reconnect on Facebook? My sweet niece graduated from the University of Florida and now practices medicine in Orlando. Since my sister also lives in Florida, we get into the \”Gator\” mode quite often.Have a wonderful weekend.Best,Bonnie
Laura in Paris
I love this idea! I often make \”roulades\” but have never thought of green asparagus!
Unknown
What an elegant dinner, so beautifully presented!
Unknown
Thank you for the recipe Velva…. Oh I am hosting my Pay It Forward Giveaway. If you can pass it on that would be great! http://tomatotots.blogspot.com/2010/06/pay-it-forward.htmlmegan
tinyskillet
Asparagus sounds perfect with the chicken. What a lovely dish!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
Great post and I had to smile at Joel's comments! Hope you're enjoying a wonderful bike trip 😉
Devon
Joel, ever consider writing a blog?
Heather S-G
Ha! Love it 😉 Gorgeous meal, too…
buffalodick
Chicken was in the air..many posts on people who I follow had a chicken recipe!
Hungry Dog
Looks good and I like Joel's style. He should have his own blog.
Joel Greene
You know, I was very excited when Velva chose my recipe to feature in her blog way back when, but now, I'm returning to it, as a link from my newest submission, and I've just scrolled through every comment that followed for the first time. I am feeling so much love from your readers Velva and I've got a big smile on my face. As you know, my humor has not changed much over the years. It is still wise ass and warped by nature. For years, I've put my humor to work responding to inquiries to my real estate site that were clearly misdirected or just plain stupid or when a person seemed to be begging for my abuse. If anyone would like me to send them the links to my best wise guy responses to these prospects, just email me at [email protected], and I'll be delighted to share. Or Velva, if you say it is ok to just post them here, I will, but I did not want to steal your thunder.Thanks to all of you who commented.
Joel Greene
Enjoyed reading all these posts again when this popped up in my Facebook memories. I'm amused by my \”Never Again\” comment because I don't think I've ever made it again since.