Roulade

When I hear the word, "roulade," I instantly think of Kohlrouladen.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but I am just not a fun of Kohlrouladen.  It's basically a German cabbage roll.  I'm not a huge fan of cooked cabbage (although I appreciate it as an ingredient), and I'm not wild about the seasoning that my family used when preparing the meat mixture to go in it.  (Seasonings I assume are very traditional).  but really, roulade refers to a range of rolled-up foods, including Kohlrouladen, but also things like jelly roll cakes and meats wrapped around fillings.  I'm a fan of the latter, which can include chicken cordon bleu, a perennial favorite.  It is also, as they demonstrated on Worst Cooks in America, a great "canvas" for trying flavor combinations.  Thus, when I was faced with "something chicken" on our menu, I decided to throw together one of my own.  Enjoy this chicken roulade (serves 2), with just a hint of sweetness.

Almond-Cranberry Chicken Roulade
1 chicken breast

Rub:
     1 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp pepper
     pinch* ground chipotle pepper
     pinch sage
     pinch onion powder
     pinch parsley
     dash* thyme

Filling:
     1/3 C coarsely chopped almonds (see technique notes at the bottom)
     1/4 C dried cranberries, chopped
     1 pinch sesame seeds
     1 C cooked rice (any type-- I used leftovers from a different meal)

Sauce:
      1 Tbsp butter
      1 Tbsp flour
      1 C milk
      pinch* sage
      salt and pepper to taste

*Because these are super technical terms, I'll clarify: to me, a pinch is roughly double a dash.  I give my shaker a few flings for a pinch--or reach in and pinch a decent amount with two fingers (and my thumb).  For a dash, I tip a pretty minimal amount from the shaker into the mix.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350˚F.   Meanwhile, pound the chicken breast to a flat 1/3ish-inch thick.  (See below for technique notes.)  Tip: place the chicken breast between layers of waxed paper and plastic wrap to keep chicken juices from getting all over the place.

Combine the rub ingredients in a small dish and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken breast.  While you're doing this, make sure the prettier side is down.

Combine the filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl, then place it along the middle of the chicken breast.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Wrap the chicken around the filling, then place it on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.  Bake 20-30 minutes until done. The chicken will not brown much at this temperature, and the filling can sometimes make it difficult to place a thermometer, so I find the best way to test it is to make a small cut in the chicken near the center of the roulade to see if it has cooked all the way through or not.  It'll be Ok.

While that's in the oven, make a sauce!  Start with a roux-- melt the butter, stir in the flour, and let it brown for about a minute (this is so hard for me; I'm impatient).  While stirring, gradually add the milk  If you don't like the consistency, adjust: add more milk to make it thinner, add a precombined mixture of milk and flour (a slurry) to thicken it.  Add sage for flavor, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add some worchestershire sauce if you want a little more umami (meaty) flavor, but be careful-- a little bit can go a long way, and the delicate creaminess of this sauce actually pairs nicely with the nutty/sweet chicken.

Slice the chicken and serve it with sauce alongside a vegetable of your choice.

Technique notes:

Chopping almonds: You can get chopped almonds.  But it's better to chop them yourself, for flavor as well as for control over texture.  You can chop them as finely or coarsely as you like if you do it yourself.  That said, it can be a pain in the rear trying to chop them yourself.  You can give them a couple quick pulses in a food processor (quick-- you don't want to end up with flour!), or you can get what my sister calls a "whopper-chopper," probably most commonly recognized as a "slap-chop".  I have the Pampered Chef version.  When I was younger I would use it for chopping onions, because it saved me a lot of tears.  I have since improved my onion-chopping skills, which renders it no longer necessary for that.  However, I think it is absolutely the best tool for chopping nuts.  They're contained by the device, so they don't fly around or roll off your cutting board, and you can easily see (and control) how finely you've chopped things.  I do not, however, recommend it for chopping cranberries. Any kind of dried fruit just gums up the blade, and things stick and don't get cut, and it's a pain to clean off.  Just use a knife for the cranberries.

Pounding the chicken:  If you have a meat mallet, use it (a flat side).  If you don't have a meat mallet, don't despair.  I don't have one, either.  When I lived at home, I think I used one of my dad's mallets (he does woodworking and landscaping and other things that require using a mallet on occasion.)  This is not the best solution, because things form the garage are not necessarily things you want around your food.  A better option would be to use a rolling pin (if you have a wooden one, be sure to use layers of waxed paper and plastic wrap).  The drawback to a rolling pin, though, is that they aren't really meant for whacking away at things, and I'm always afraid I'll break the center rod.  It depends on your rolling pin, really, but it's not a chance I really like to take.  The best alternative, in my opinion, is a heavy-bottomed skillet.  I favor a smallish omelet pan, because then I have a little more control over where I'm hitting.  I know the handle to my pan is well-attached, and I could see right away if that were to change.  

Thoughts on the recipe:

I feel like I knocked this one out of the park.  The flavors went extremely well together.  Earthiness (sage), sweetness with a hint of tartness (cranberry), nuttiness (we used a fairly nutty-flavored rice, plus the almonds), and creaminess…  It was very well-balanced.  The roulade technique also makes it very pretty on the plate, don't you think?  

The only thing I would like to do differently is brown the chicken a little more.  It just looks more appetizing that way.  There are a couple ways to do this.  I could sear it before baking, but I worry about the filling falling out.  I could also try finishing it under the broiler after baking it.  The trick with that method is that the chicken might dry out and toughen.  I think basting the chicken before broiling might help, as well as applying a bit of butter (perhaps seasoned butter?).  If I try either of those, I'll be sure to post an update.  But that's really more a visual thing.  I would say this is a good recipe to use as-is.