Apr. 19 - Chicken roll-ups

Finally went grocery shopping again!! It's been since March 24?!? I loooove how I can stretch out "major grocery shopping" trips to once a month. This stockpiling this is GREAT, though we still run weekly for fresh fruits and veggies (and sometimes milk, although no one drinks it in the house...just used for cooking, cereal, etc.).

Since we have food again, I decided to cook up a "meat and potatoes" dinner. I made these creamy stuffed chicken roll-ups, roasted garlic red potatoes and asparagus. It turned out really deliciously! Everyone scarfed down the potatoes (they're a huge hit in our house), the asparagus was enjoyed by all (even Linds ate two full spears), and the chicken turned out well. It was a tasty meal! The asparagus was easy - just drizzled olive oil and salt and pepper over top and seared on the stove. Here are the other two recipes.

Creamy Stuffed Chicken Roll-ups
Ingredients
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened (I used fat-free)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays - yum!)
3 Tbsp. apricot preserves (can't even taste it in this recipe)
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
4 slices bacon, cooked, chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. 
2. Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness; place, top-sides down, on work surface. Mix cream cheese, onions, parsley and garlic; spread down centers of chicken breasts. Roll up, starting at one short end of each. Place, seam-sides down, in single layer in shallow pan. 
3. Mix barbecue sauce, preserves and hot pepper sauce; brush 1/4 cup evenly onto chicken. 
4. Bake 35 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF), brushing with remaining barbecue sauce mixture the last 5 min. 
5. Top with bacon.

Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used low-fat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish. 
3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. 
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for at least 60 minutes (often a little longer).

The prep time on this stuff wasn't too bad - only about 20 minutes for both, but the cook time is what kills it. Definitely give yourself about 90 minutes prior to dinner for the potatoes (they are so worth it!), and then make the chicken while your potatoes are cooking already. If your potatoes still aren't done by dinner time, just nuke 'em for a few minutes in the microwave. They still taste good and it shortens the cook time. Enjoy!