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Dennis Getto

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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This chicken roulade recipe has become one of our most requested recipes. I developed it last winter for a private party and decided to add it to our regular restaurant menu. The lingonberry sauce makes a nice finish for the dish. Lingonberries are found in most large grocery stores in jars. You also can find them at most specialty food stores. Of course, if you are in Door County, just go to Al Johnson's restaurant in Sister Bay. He sells them in his gift shop!

Recipe of the Month

Chicken Roulade with Lingonberry Sauce
Makes 6 roulades

Chicken Stuffing

1/3 cup unsalted butter

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 medium onion or two shallots, peeled and diced

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
salt and white pepper to taste
2 cups of Japanese bread crumbs (Panko)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage,

oregano or Italian parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable or chicken stock, if needed to moisten stuffing

6 six-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts,

single lob, trimmed

½ cup dried cranberries, cherries or diced dried apricots

¾ cup herb garlic cheese spread

(such as Alloette cheese)

Ingredients to bread chicken roulades

1 cup flour seasoned with a little salt and white pepper

3 eggs

1 cup milk or half and half

2 cups Japanese bread crumbs (Panko) combined with

2 tablespoons sage, oregano or Italian parsley

Ingredients to finish roulades

Long wood skewers

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Lingonberry Sauce

One 10 ounce jar of sweetened lingonberries

1/3 cup apple juice

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 to 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in

2 tablespoons water


*To prepare the chickens -* Have a baking pan ready and lined with parchment paper or foil (if using foil, spray with a little nonstick food spray). On a work surface or cutting board, place another piece of parchment. Place the chicken breasts on the work surface and, one by one, butterfly them. Make sure to keep the breasts attached on one side. Open up the butterflied chicken breasts.

Place another piece of parchment (or wax) paper over the chicken breasts. Using a meat pounder, carefully pound the chickens to even them out. Do not use too much pressure. You want them pounded but you don’t want them so thin they tear. Make sure to use a meat pounder….not a meat tenderizing mallet. It should be a smooth, flat surface….no “teeth.” Place opened and pounded chicken breast on the parchment paper. Have the stuffing (instructions below) prepared and cooled . Do not stuff with warm stuffing. Stuffing should be made at least one hour ahead and cooled to room temperature.

*To make the stuffing-* Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the chopped celery, shallot/onion and garlic. .

When onions are translucent, remove from heat. Place vegetable mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper and herbs. Pulse to combine. The stuffing should hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it seems too dry, add a little stock until it holds together. If the stuffing is too dry, it will not stay in the roulade when sliced. The stuffing can be made several days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Bring out for about ½ hour before stuffing chickens.

Spread the herb cheese on the breasts using a small offset spatula.

Sprinkle breasts evenly with the dried cranberries/cherries or apricots. With clean hands, form the stuffing into compact "rolls" about 3 inches long and one inch wide. Place in the center of the chickens.

Roll the chickens up and secure open ends with a long wooded skewer. Place on the parchment paper and refrigerate while preparing the egg wash, flour and breading.

To bread the chicken Place flour with salt and pepper in one pan or bowl. Make an egg wash by combining the egg and milk/half and half and placing in a pan or bowl. Place the herb seasoned Japanese bread crumbs in a pan or bowl. Place a chicken roulade in the flour mixture, then the egg wash and finally the bread crumbs. Coat completely with crumbs then place back on baking sheet. Continue with remaining roulades. Chicken roulades can be cooked and served at this point, or you may freeze them for future use. Wrap individually in saran wrap, place in a large freezer zip lock bag and freeze. Thaw overnite in the refrigerator. To make the sauce Place all ingredients except the cornstarch/water into a saucepot. Heat to a simmer. When simmering, add a few drizzles of the cornstarch/water mixture to slightly thicken the sauce. I like to have the sauce just thick enough that is "sticks" to the top of the chicken medallions. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated and then reheated when ready to serve the chickens.

To finish the chicken Place butter and olive oil in a large saute pan. When hot, place the chicken roulades in the pan and brown on all sides (You may need to do this in batches if your pan is not large enough. Add additional butter/olive oil as needed.) Have oven preheating to 350 while browning the chickens. Place browned chickens on a clean baking sheet lined with food sprayed foil or parchment paper. Bake in the oven for approximately 18 minutes or until the chickens have an internal temperature of 160 degrees (Use an instant read thermometer.) Let rest for several minutes before cutting and serving. Remove skewer(s) and slice roulade into three medallions. I serve these on three small swirls of mashed potatoes.
Place a medallion on the potatoes. Saute some julienne vegetables and reheat the lingonberry sauce. Place some of the sauce on each medallion.
Place some of the vegetables in between the medallions. Our photo to the right is finished with a mound of thinly julienned carrots.