Posts from the ‘Frugal Foodie Tips’ Category

chicken, spinach and basil roulades with dijon sauce.

This food photography thing has me so confused.

Last week I made these cookies that turned out so ugly but you’d never know because my camera magically made them look mouthwatering.  Now this week I made the most gorgeous chicken roulades and these shots do them zero justice.  Seriously, I welcome any tips.  I’ve been a food blogger a whopping 12 days.

Moving on…let me just say this recipe is fabulous and perfect for entertaining.

Maybe try this dish on a day when you’ve got some aggression to take out…on the chicken.  You’ll need to pound it flat before layering it with delicious fillings.

Then after folding up the poor flattened chickens that you just beat up on, you roll them in a dijon sauce and breadcrumb/asiago* mixture.

We’re almost done!  Time to grab yourself a little glass of chard.

And finally you slice them up and serve them with the mustard sauce.  But let me just warn you – after serving this dish you may find that your friends invite themselves back over…again and again.  I’m just saying…

Chicken, Spinach and Basil Roulades with Dijon Sauce

(serves 4)

What You’ll Need:

Dijon Sauce:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt ($.50 at $1.99/2 cups)

1 tablespoon dijon mustard ($.09 at $.03/tsp)

2 tsp. chopped chives or green onions (free if you grow them yourself!)

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (free if you grow it yourself!)

1/4 cup spinach, chopped ($.12 at $.99/bunch)

1/4 cup grated asiago* or parmesan cheese ($.31 at $4.99/lb)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 6 ounces each ($2.98 at $1.99/lb)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt ($.50 at $1.99/2 cups)

1 tsp. dijon mustard ($.03 at $.03/tsp)

1 cup bread crumbs (I’ll show you how to make them yourself from leftover bread – free!)

1/2 cup grated asiago* or parmesan cheese ($.62 at $4.99/lb for asiag0*)

2 tablespoons butter, melted ($.18 at $.09/tablespoon)

Instructions

Make the sauce:

Stir together yogurt, mustard and chives in a small bowl.  Let sauce stand to room temperature while chicken bakes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Pound chicken breasts to 3/8-inch thickness.  Sprinkle basil, cheese and spinach at the center of each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper.  Fold in the short ends of the breast and then roll up the long side of each breast, enclosing the fillings.

In a shallow bowl stir together the 1/2 cup yogurt and 1 teaspoon mustard.  Separately, stir together the bread crumbs and cheese.  Roll each chicken breast in the yogurt mixture, and then coat with the crumb mixture.  Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter.

Bake until the coating is golden brown and chicken shows no sign of pink when cut into the center – about 30 minutes.  Serve hot with the mustard sauce on the side.

TOTAL:  $5.33 or $1.33 per serving.  Add a veggie or side salad and you’re under $1.75 per serving.

*What’s up with the asiago?!  Here’s a Frugal Foodie Tip for you – substituting asiago for parmesan in recipes can save you over double what you would pay for parmesan (typically $4.99/lb vs. $11.99+/lb).  It is a bit softer, and I’m not saying it’s the perfect substitute all the time but for everyday occasions we use asiago.

Nutrition:

330 calories per serving

15 grams of fat

5 carbs

39 grams protein