Chicken Rolls with Ricotta and Spinach filling and Cannonata is a recipe that it is so tasty yet very easy to prepare. I do it often when friends come to visit because it’s full of flavour and everybody likes it. I hope that you will enjoy it too.

INGREDIENTS for 4 people

4 chicken breasts (it will make 8 rolls)
200 gr bread crumbs
6 tbs grated Parmigiano cheese,
150 gr fresh baby spinach
1 clove of garlic
3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
200gr ricotta cheese
4 egg whites
2 125gr fresh mozzarella cheese
1 small jar of Cannonata for topping
Fresh basil

PROCEDURE

Preparing the chicken breast:

Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken breast on the side into 2 pieces and again make a second butterfly cut –  that means that you don’t cut it completely trough so you can open it in two. It will come out thin enough but if you have a meat tenderiser, use it to pound the pieces and make it even thinner for quicker cooking and more filling.

Place the breadcrumbs in a flat dish and mix it with 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano cheese and set aside.

For the filling:

Chop the spinach roughly. Put the extra virgin olive oil to a pan and add the finely chopped garlic.

Heat it. When the garlic starts to change colour (do not burn it), add the spinach and sauté for 2/3 minutes to make it softer.

Let it cool for few minutes. Now combine the ricotta to the just sauteed spinach, Parmigiano cheese, and 2-3 tbs of the egg whites. Set the remaining whites aside .

Now preheat the oven at 200cº. Oil a large baking dish. Take the first piece of chicken, place it on a working surface and spread a spoonful of ricotta and spinach mix. Roll the chicken up and dip it in the egg white. Roll it in the breadcrumbs. Set on the baking tray.

Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken. Bake for 25/30 minutes.

Now, to make it tastier: spread a spoonful of Cannonata on top of each roll, add a slice of Mozzarella

and bake for another 5 minutes or until the you see the cheese starting to melt. Sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh basil.

Serve and enjoy!