This Thanksgiving season and beyond, leave an impression with a fresh take on the classic chicken dinner. An option for both small get-togethers and larger dinner parties, this recipe comes together in about an hour, and features flavourful seared chicken breasts, a simple sauce and a sweet-and-savoury filling—with a secret ingredient:

Mediterranean Chicken Roulades with Prune Stuffing

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 1 cup (250 ml) California Prunes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) brick-style cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) squeeze-dried thawed, frozen chopped spinach
  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) diced roasted red pepper
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) each chopped sliced Kalamata olives and pickled hot pepper mix

Chicken:

  • 4 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) Cajun spice or seasoning salt
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
  • 1 cup (250 ml) white wine
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) butter
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh sage leaves, chopped
  • Sage leaves to garnish

Directions:

Prep:

  1. First, make the filling: in a medium bowl, add prunes, cream cheese, spinach, red pepper, olives and roasted pepper mix. Stir until well combined and set aside.
  2. Butterfly chicken breasts and pound with a mallet to create an even thickness.
  3. Divide filling among breasts. Create a log of filling along the centre of each breast and roll one side of the breast upward to wrap around filling. Secure the roll by tying it with kitchen twine or sticking a skewer through. Repeat with remaining breasts.
  4. Season each roll with Cajun spice. For reduced spice, use seasoning salt instead. 

Cooking—chicken and sauce:

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add each chicken roll seam-side-down and cook with a lid on, turning periodically for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden-brown all over. Reduce heat to medium-low if chicken darkens too quickly.
  2. Remove chicken to a cutting board.
  3. In the same pan, raise heat to high and deglaze with white wine. 
  4. Reduce liquid by half. Stir in butter and remove from heat.

Serving:

  1. Remove twine or skewers from the chicken and slice into 3/4-inch rounds. Plate with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. Drizzle the sauce on everything, garnish with sage leaves and serve.

Your secret ingredient: prunes

The inclusion of prunes elevates the stuffing with a sweetness from their natural sugars. Prunes also contain a number of important nutrients: antioxidants, Vitamin K, potassium and fibre, just to name a few. Research suggests that including prunes in your diet can help support your bone density and gut health. You can find more recipes at californiaprunes.ca.