Chicken Roulade with Roasted Carrots & Garlic Confit Polenta

Another great dinner that can be made in a little over 30 minutes and will impress that special someone. Who doesn't like chicken? Stuffed with an array of your favorite ingredients. The trick is to pretend that your meat is an ungrateful boss and not your cheating ex! You don't want to kill the little bird while you pound away. Next, create a stuffing that will hold together and be used as glue (cheese, pesto, dates). And that's it. As always feel free to change some of the ingredients or portion size if you must but always know that this went through my test kitchen ;)

the goods:

4 skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of chopped parsley

1 cup of chopped basil

1 cup of shredded chedder

1 lb of carrots

1 garlic bulb

2 cups of corn meal

1 cup of chicken broth

2 cups of olive oil

2 tbl of butter

salt and pepper to taste

the lowdown:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Place the carrots on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper along with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 30-35 or until partially charred and softened.

Now for the garlic confit. Pull away the skin from the the garlic cloves. Heat the cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and place the cloves in the pan making sure they are almost covered. Reduce heat to low and let cook for about 25 minutes or until garlic has softened.

Now, halve the chicken breasts like a book without cutting it into 2 pieces. Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to avoid any mess. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a mallet or heavy pan to a thickness of 1 inch. Being very careful not to over pound the meat. Place about 2 tbl of the chopped parsley, basil and shredded cheese onto each chicken breast

Roll each breast and fold in the sides for extra security. Secure ends with toothpicks. Add more if needed. Place the chicken in a hot skillet with olive oil making sure you hear a sizzle when the chicken hits the pan. This will ensure a beautiful sear before putting it in the oven. Cook on both sides for 5-6 minutes each until golden brown. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center about 20-25 minutes.

Finally, place the cornmeal with the chicken broth and cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken broth is soaked up. Mince the garlic and add to the polenta along with a tbl of olive oil for a creamy consistency. Stir to incorporate. Add more water if needed.

Take the chicken out of the oven and allow to rest for 7minutes before removing toothpicks. Cut across the chicken breats to reveal the beautiful cuts and place on a plate. Drizzle with the sauce from the pan and baking sheet. Smacznego!