Appetizer Chicken Roulades

Julesong's Note:

A nice change of pace from the regular tortilla-wrapped pinwheels, these rolled appetizers are wrapped in the meat themselves and baked, then sliced. And they're great for folks looking for lowcarb appetizers, too.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 roulades

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ teaspoon salt , to taste
• freshly ground pepper (tricolor pepper is nice, too)
• 3 ounces goat cheese , softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese , softened
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 8 large fresh spinach leaves
• 1 (7 ¼ ounce) jar roasted sweet red peppers , drained
• fresh spinach leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap or inside a large Ziplog bag; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Stir together goat cheese, cream cheese, and basil; spread evenly over each chicken breast.
5. Top each with 2 spinach leaves and roasted red peppers.
6. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting with a short side.
7. Secure rolls with wooden picks, and place seam-side-down in a lightly greased 11x7-inch baking dish.
8. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F (175C degrees) for 15 minutes.
9. Uncover and bake 20 additional minutes or until chicken is done.
10. Slice crosswise into 6-8 pieces, and serve on a spinach-lined plate, if desired.