October 28, 2010

salsa chicken roll-ups

This one only has 4 ingredients, people. FOUR. Well, plus salt and pepper. But still. It's a great recipe to remember during the week for something quick and delicious. All you need is chicken, a jar of salsa, cream cheese, and corn flakes.



I love the way the cream cheese melts into the chicken... when you bite into it you just get this warm, creamy texture and you can taste the flavor of the salsa. YUM.



I used a couple cups of corn flakes for this. Just put it in your food processor and then into a shallow dish for breading later. Corn flakes give the chicken a crispy coating without frying. We aren't even pan frying these first! Even baking them still gives it crunch.



Take your chicken breast and trim off the fat. Then put it between two layers of plastic wrap, and beat the crap out of it with a mallet. You want it to be pretty thin so it rolls easily. This part was bad for my poor boyfriend who had a headache already when I made these... don't make this while people are sleeping!



Now that the chicken breasts are pounded thin, you put some cream cheese and a spoonful of salsa in the middle, towards the top of the chicken. Then just roll it up. This sounds a little easier than it actually is, but just work with it and use tooth picks if you need to.



Roll those babies in cornflakes.



Put them on a baking dish and bake at 375 for 30 or so minutes, until the chicken reaches 155 - 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

I'm a little psycho about raw chicken, thanks to my mother. She is also a little psycho about raw chicken. You should have seen the kitchen after I was done with this dish. I had the bleach out... with sponges, paper towels, Lysol...




But it was worth it. This is such a great recipe to remember when you don't want to get a million things at the grocery store. Just these 4 ingredients make a delicious, creamy chicken dish. 

Here's the recipe:

Salsa Chicken Roll-Ups

1 cup of your favorite jarred salsa
1 block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
4 to 6 chicken breasts (I made 6, but you could make less!)
2 cups of coarsely chopped corn flakes
salt
pepper

Clean and trim chicken. Put between two layers of plastic wrap and pound until thin. Put 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and a tablespoon of salsa in the middle, towards the top of the chicken. Roll it up around the filling. Then roll the chicken in corn flakes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray the tops of the chicken with olive oil cooking spray. This will help get a crispy layer without frying!

Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray or a Silpat. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 155 - 160 degrees.

6 comments:

  1. hehe :) I love how you said "beat the crap out of it with a mallet" :) looks yummy!!

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  2. I had a bite of this for lunch yesterday - It was SO yummy! I love the fact that it is a frugal meal, too, requiring only four ingredients that you normally have around. Great idea!

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  3. This was SOOO good! I hope you make this again sometime :)

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  4. I wasn't sure about this recipe when I read the title, but in the end they sure look good. Best part, just a few ingredients.

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