Chicken Caprese Rollups with Roasted Potatoes and a Balsamic Glaze

This is the chicken recipe I had been thinking about lately. Although, after making it this way, I think I might have changed it a little. So, I will write about how I did it and also the corrections I made. It came out tasting really good, but the chicken didn't have much color to it. I know that sounds kind of silly, but it's important for me that the food I make looks good and tastes good. I've heard TV chefs say that you eat with your eyes first and I think that's true. Anyway, on to the recipe! Oh, I should have mentioned in my first blog that most of my recipes will be for 2 servings, so adjust as needed. :)







-Chicken cutlets (I used a boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut through it horizontally, but one of the pieces ended up a little funky, so this is one of the changes I would make in the future)
-a Roma tomato (or whatever you have on hand), sliced thinly
-4 basil leaves, left whole
-fresh mozzarella (I suggest getting the real mozzarella, not the square block of mozzarella. It has a better flavor and melts better, but the choice is up to you.)
-6 to 8 baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced in half (sometimes when you buy a bag of these potatoes you get a bunch of different sizes in the bag. Try to use as close to the same size as possible for even cooking.)
-handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
-Extra virgin olive oil
-1 cup balsamic vinegar
-1 1/2 TBS of brown sugar
-toothpicks (I used about 6 per piece of chicken)

Preheat the oven to 350. Wash the potatoes and slice in half. Place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Then turn the potatoes cut side down to cook. The potatoes will take about 20 minutes to cook.

For the chicken, if you find that the chicken cutlets still seem a little thick you can pound them out with a meat mallet. I ended up doing that with the chicken breast I used. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the basil leaves, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese on the chicken. Tightly roll up the chicken. This part does get a little tricky, but as long as you keep a hold of the tomatoes, cheese and basil as you roll it, you should be fine. Secure the seam and any open gaps in the chicken with the toothpicks. OK, here's where I would change what I did. From here, I just brushed the chicken with olive oil and put it in the oven for 30-35 minutes. I thought that with the olive oil on the chicken, it would come out nice and golden brown. No sir. So, here's my solution for that. In a saute pan, over medium heat, brown all the sides of the chicken. This will only take a few minutes per side. Then you can finish cooking the chicken in the oven. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, this could take 10-15 minutes. But always check to make sure the juices run clear or better yet, check the internal temperature with a thermometer.

When you have about 10 minutes left until the chicken and potatoes are done, start the glaze. Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue simmering until sauce is thickened about 5-7 minutes. This gets rather aromatic, so I usually crack a window and/or turn the on the fan above the stove. This glaze can then be drizzled over the chicken and it was also quite tasty on the potatoes too! Garnish the chicken and potatoes with the chopped parsley. I served a spinach salad on the side.

Overall, I was pleased with the flavors of this dish, but in the future I would make the corrections that I wrote about. Hey, live and learn...that's what it's all about, right? :)