Sunday, November 30, 2014

Mama's Green Chili Chicken Rollups

I have always said, if I had to choose 1 non-Paleo item to get a pass on, it would be tortillas.  I LOVE Mexican food, all of it.  I could practically live on salsa and anything I can put it on.  Cilantro is my favorite spice, I love onions and garlic and peppers...there's nothing I dislike about Mexican food, except for when it's bad, lol.  This is a fantastic way to get around using tortillas; however, I included them this time as an option and because I only had 2 left in the package, and they needed using!

My father-in-law grows tomatoes in the Summer and he had a great thing going this past Summer!  He had tons of fabulous tomatoes all Summer!  He replanted in August and he harvested a good many green ones last week, just before our first freeze.  I had 3 of those left and thought this would be a great way to use those!  You can always use tomatillos if you can find green tomatoes!

What you need...
2 chicken breasts, sliced open and pounded (more on this)
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño or serrano pepper
3 green tomatoes
1/4 tsp cumin
small handful cilantro
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 Anaheim peppers
4 oz. pepper jack cheese
1/4 shredded cheese

Preheat oven to broil and place Anaheim (large peppers) on top rack in the oven and roast them, turning every couple of minutes until they are blackened on all sides.  Remove them from the oven and place under a bowl to steam.  Remove skin gently open on one side and remove seeds.  Place cheese in the middle and roll up, set aside.  
In a small pot, add tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, onion, jalapeño, and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes.  Drain and add to a blender with the cumin.  Puree and set aside.
Lay out plastic wrap to cover your counter surface.  Place chicken breast on plastic wrap and slice a pocket in the side so that you can open the breast up (like a book).  Slice a few shallow slits in the meat, so that when you pound it out it can spread further (see pics).  Cover breast with another pieces of plastic wrap and pound gently with a meat mallet (I use the side so that it doesn't pierce the plastic wrap).  You want the chicken to be thin and large enough to wrap around the pepper.
Preheat oven to 350F.  Lay out the chicken, place cheese wrapped pepper in the center and roll it up.  Secure with a tortilla and place seam down into a lightly sprayed baking dish.  Smother with green chili sauce, top with cilantro and shredded cheese.  Bake covered at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly, finish uncovered for 5 minutes.
 Note: Tortillas can be omitted.  Secure chicken roll-up with toothpick if necessary!



What you need...

Roast Anaheim Peppers under broiler, turning until blackened, then steam under a bowl.

Remove skin, carefully open, remove seeds and place cheese in the center, roll up.

Set aside.

In a small pot, place tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, vinegar, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Turn to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Drain and puree with cumin to make sauce.

Cover surface with plastic wrap.

Cut a pocket in the side of the breast and cut a few shallow slits to help the meat  open wider when pounded.

Cover with a second piece of plastic and gently pound the breast under it's thinned out to about 1/2" thickness all the way through.

Place pepper in the center and roll up. (I used a gluten free tortilla to hold these together but you can omit that!  Secure with a toothpick if necessary).

Place seam down in a lightly sprayed baking dish.

Green Chili Sauce

Smother with sauce....

Top with cilantro and shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 350F for 30 minutes until bubbly, finish uncovered for 5 minutes and serve!  Great with guacamole and greek yogurt....or alone!

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