" Ali's Chicken" Goat Cheese, Pesto, Basil, Sundried

Stormy Hiccups's Note:

I created this dish in honor of my best friend, Ali, and she now requests it every time i offer to us cook dinner. We met working at Carrabbas, and both equally adore the Chicken Bryan. This is our version of its infamous flavors :) I adapted from a few other recipes i read online that share the same concept and this is what i came up with. Thin sliced chicken rolled with goat cheese, pesto, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes. baked with a parmesan whole wheat breading. lovely. 20 min prep, 40 min cook

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 5-6

Yield: 10.0 rolls

• 10 -12 chicken breasts (Perdue thin sliced)
• 8 ounces goat cheese (log)
• ½-¾ cup fresh basil leaf (pending on tastes)
• ½-1 cup sun-dried tomato (fresh, not in oil)
• 7 ounces pesto sauce (fresh, in refrigerated section of grocery store)
• 2⁄3; cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup egg white
• 1⁄3; cup parmesan cheese , grated
• toothpick
• Pam cooking spray (olive oil)

Directions:

1. set your oven to 350 degrees.
2. depending on how much you love basil, measure out 1/2 min to 3/4 cup max of fresh basil leaves (stems picked off). then finely dice the leaves and set to the side.
3. grab your FRESH sun dried tomatoes and start to thinly slice (julienne) these. i prepared about 6 large ones (about the size of a half dollar) to later add to the mixture. you can certainly add more if you love the flavor, however, i decided instead to add a small row of the julienned tomatoes during the rolling process which turned out nicely. (see *NOTE* during rolling process).
4. grab a mixing bowl and combine the following w a hand mixer. goat cheese (entire 8oz log), pesto (all 7oz), diced basil, julienned sun dried tomatoes. once you've thoroughly mixed the filling you can move over to prep the chicken breast.
5. remove the chicken from the packaging and wash off in the sink. remove any excess fat and funkys to "clean up" your chicken.
6. take about 2 tsp of the goat cheese mixture and spread along the chicken evenly. then roll the chicken up and secure with 1 or 2 toothpicks. set to the side. complete process til you have no mixture left. (this is why i say get 2 packs of the chicken, i make more one day and less another, just depends on how thick the chicken is, how long it is -- everything varies).
7. *NOTE* this is where the sun dried tomato lovers stepped in and had a line of julienned tomatoes added to their roll. i simply sliced 1 tomato per breast of chicken and added the line close to the beginning of the rolling (if you roll side A to side B, place the tomatoes close to side A so that they are in the center of the roll up) it really added a nice burst of flavor to these rolls and i would recommend at least trying this in one roll to see if you care for it.
8. once your done rolling you can start to bread them. prepare 3 bowls: flour; egg whites; bread crumbs & parmesan cheese mixed together.
9. prepare baking sheet: i lined a sheet with tin foil and sprayed it lightly with olive oil Pam to prevent sticking and make for easy clean-up.
10. dunk each roll into the flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture, and coat evenly with each step. set completed rolls onto the baking sheet and be sure that none are touching.
11. bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (i did 40, but will try for 35 next time, i had a thick piece i was concerned with cooking through).
12. check to see that they are a nice golden brown and juices are running clear.
13. REMOVE TOOTHPICKS BEFORE SERVING.
14. served 2 pieces per person. makes 10- 12 rolls.
15. ps- im considering topping with Carrabba's Lemon Butter Sauce next time :) be sure to look up the recipe! its on here! http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Carrabbas-Lemon-Butter-Sauce-119582 be sure to read the reviews and reduce the lemon if you dont want it to over power the sauce -- i reduce, i want a creamy lemon garlic flavor, not a lemon garlic dressing.