This post was updated with video and new descriptions on April 27, 2021.
Making Chicken Rollatini is something that definitely looks advanced. There are a few things that can go wrong, mainly, not cooking the chicken all the way through. But, once you get the hang of it, it’s a fun dish to make and always a hit with guests. You can also change up the fillings based on ingredients you have. It’s a pretty flexible recipe!
The version I made for this particular post is a Herbed Ricotta Chicken Rollatini. The filling is proscuitto and a quick lemon and herb ricotta mixture. It’s a light flavor profile and goes well with a ton of side dishes.
What Exactly is Chicken Rollatini
In short, the basics of chicken rollatini is a thinly pounded cutlet of chicken, breaded, and rolled around filling. Traditionally, ham and cheese is used. Once you have the chicken rolled, you can either fry it or bake it. I chose to bake my chicken rollatini on this day just for ease and to lower the calories a bit. Either way is great though!
Get Creative with Filling Ideas
I kept my version pretty simple for this post and I would recommend you do the same if you are just starting to make this dish. Once you get the hang of the rolling and cooking though, the filling options are limitless! A few ideas:
- Classic Ham and Cheese with a Light sauce (also known as Chicken Cordon Bleu)
- Sauteed spinach and goat cheese
- Quinoa and veggies
Tips for Making Chicken Rollatini
There are a few things to keep in mind when you are making this dish.
- Use small chicken cutlets. I think about four ounces per cutlet is a good guideline. You don’t have to weigh them or anything, but the closer you can get them the more identical they will cook.
- It’s pretty much a necessity to use a meat thermometer for these. It’s hard to know the internal temperature of the chicken by time or look. Use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s cooked through all the way to a safe 165 degrees F.
- Make it in advance! These are a bit of a process, but you can make them in advance and then just pop them in the oven for dinner time.
Herbed Ricotta Chicken Rollatini
The first part of making these is to pound the chicken cutlets to an even thickness. I shoot for about 1/4-inch thick and usually put plastic wrap around the cutlets to avoid a big mess.
Then you need to mix up the herbed ricotta mixture. Lots of lemon zest!
For assembly, dip each chicken cutlet in butter/lemon and then coat it well on all sides with breadcrumbs.
Then lay on a slice of proscuitto and smear on some of the ricotta mixture. Time to roll it up!
Place these in a baking dish, seem side down and you are done!
Like I said, I would not go off of time for these. You should be going off of temperature, for sure. But, as a general guideline they will need 30-35 minutes to bake.
Let the chicken rollatini cool a bit before slicing and serving!
YUM!
My Classic Chicken Rollatini Recipe
Herbed Ricotta Chicken Rollatini
Ingredients
- 6 4 oz. chicken cutlets, pounded thin
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 6 slices proscuitto
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 lemon, zest only
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Place chicken cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound them into an even thickness (about 1/4-inch is a good goal). It’s okay if there are a few holes. They don’t have to be perfect. Repeat with all chicken cutlets.
- In a small bowl, melt butter and stir in lemon juice. Add breadcrumbs to a second bowl.
- Dip the chicken cutlets in the melted butter and then coat well with breadcrumbs. Lay breaded chicken cutlets on a plate and repeat with all of them.
- Stir together ricotta, herbs, and lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Working with one chicken cutlet at a time, place a slice of proscuitto on the chicken and then add about two tablespoons of ricotta filling. Then roll the chicken into a tight cylinder and place the chicken, seam-side down, in a baking dish. Repeat with all the chicken cutlets.
- NOTE: You can prep the recipe in advance up to this point if you would like.
- Bake the chicken rollatini at 350 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes. You should definitely use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. in the center of each roll.
- Serve rollatini whole or slice and serve!
Kristin Stones
These look fabulous! They remind me of the frozen ones you can buy (which I love) but obviously, these look wayyy better! I think I will omit the breadcrumbs to keep the carbs lower. Adding these to my meal plan next month!
Magart
What oven temperature?
Nick
350 degrees F. Good luck!
Janet
How do I make a wine butter sauce to go over them
Nick
Hey Janet! I didn’t serve mine with a sauce like that, but here’s a recipe I would trust: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-3-ingredient-buttery-white-wine-pasta-sauce-247701
Good luck!
Laura
Whenever I try to bake something like this with a soft filling, it all seems to ooze out of the sides. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I just overstuffing?
As these look so very very good, I’m going to have a go. Wish me luck. Hopefully, they are as yummy as they look!
Nick
Hey Laura, yea… you are probably slightly overfilling them. Not a huge deal though. These bake and the extra filling just stays in the pan if that happens. They are still delicious! :)
Janine Prevost
Can I make these without the prosciutto? Any difference in the rest of the recipe?