Lately, life for me has been so busy, I haven’t been able to post any recipes. I’ve been working a lot more and that’s great because I’m able to save more towards great new recipes like this one.

Let me say, this dish is one that I believe you will love. It’s easy, eye-catching, and so delicious. This is my Chicken Involtini With A Lemon-Dijon Sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40
Yields: 4 servings (8 chicken involtinis)
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) non-stick sauté pan with a tight-fitting lid, whisk, chef’s knife, meat-safe cutting board, small bowl, whisk, toothpicks

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts yielding 8 chicken cutlets
8 slices of Prosciutto
8 sliced of Provolone cheese
1 pound of asparagus, blanched (use 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 tablespoon of dried sage
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper (reserve 1/2 teaspoon  for the sauce)
6 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons of butter, unsalted and divided
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, low sodium
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions:
Ask your butcher to slice each of the chicken breasts into 4 cutlets yielding 8 cutlets total.

The next step is to *blanch the asparagus in boiling salted (1 tablespoon of Kosher salt) water for around 3 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the spears. Immediately transfer the asparagus to an ice bath. This process will stop the cooking process and set the vibrant green color. Remove the asparagus spears from the ice bath and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pat dry.

The very first thing is to lay all 8 of the cutlets out onto a meat-safe cutting board. In a small bowl add 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon of dried sage, stir to combine.

Refer to pictures:
Lay 1 slice of the Prosciutto and 1 slice of Provolone cheese (refer to the pictures above) on each of the cutlets. Place 3 to 4 asparagus spears, across, on top of the Provolone cheese, carefully roll them up, then transfer them to a plate with seam side down. Carefully sprinkle the seasoning mix over all sides of the chicken involitinis.

Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and unsalted butter. Place four of chicken Involtinis seam-side down into the pan. Sear the first side for about 2 minutes allowing the Chicken Involtinis to form a golden outer crust. Turn the Chicken Involtinis over 1/4 of the way to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, again another 1/4 turn, 1 to 2 minutes, finally the last side for 1 to 2 minutes. You want the Chicken Involtinis to have a really great color on all sides. Remove the chicken roll-ups, transfer to a plate, and repeat the entire process again with the remaining four. Start with another 2 tablespoons each of the butter and olive oil.

Once all the chicken has been seared off, in the same pan set the heat to medium-high. Arrange the Chicken Involtinis so all eight are in the pan. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and place a tight-fitting lid onto the sauté pan. Allow the chicken to steam for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165-degrees F. Remove the lid, transfer the Chicken Involtinis to a plate.

The pan is now filled with flavor from all those bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan. Continue over medium-high heat to *deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the bits of chicken that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. This process will fortify the chicken broth with even more flavor.

Reduce the chicken broth to where there is practically no liquid left in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium, switching to a whisk add 2 tablespoons of butter, swish the butter around allowing it to melt. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour whisking constantly until the raw flour cooks out and becomes paste-like forming a *roux. Continue whisking, slowly pour in 2 cups of chicken broth, until the broth absorbs the *roux.

To that, add the Dijon mustard, the zest, and juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of dried thyme, whisk to combine until sauce thickens about 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn the heat off and add the chopped fresh Italian parsley for color. Ladle that delicious Lemon Dijon-Sauce over the top of the Chicken Involtinis. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Chicken Involtinis With A Lemon-Dijon Sauce.

*Blanch: Blanching is a cooking process wherein a food, usually a vegetable or fruit, is scalded in boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water to stop the cooking process.
*Deglaze: Deglaze is to dilute meat sediments in (a pan) in order to make a gravy or sauce, typically using white wine or broth.
*Roux: A Roux is a mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/