Santa Rosa Chicken

With Halloween behind us and the holidays quickly approaching it is about this time of year I begin to crave savory dishes. I think my body is telling me I need to balance out the candy and treats that seem to be EVERYWHERE with something salty! This recipe has been in our family's recipe book for years but I have never tried it until the other day. I always seemed to skip pass this recipe thinking it was tricky or I didn't have the ingredients on hand. I was surprised to find that neither is true. This is a fun Mexican dish that isn't the typical tacos, chicken enchiladas or chimichangas that we think of when we are in the mood for Mexican. This recipe is called Santa Rosa Chicken and I served it with fresh spaghetti squash and homemade Spanish rice. Enjoy!

Santa Rosa Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts, cut in half and butterflied before pounding

1 4 oz. can green chilies, diced

Monterey Jack cheese cut into strips

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 T. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. black pepper

6 T. butter, melted

Pound chicken to 1/4" thick. Put a spoonful of green chilies and one strip of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of each piece of chicken. Roll up the best you can. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper. Dip each stuffed chicken piece into a bowl containing the melted butter. Then roll the chicken in the crumb mixture. Place chicken rolls, seam down, in a glass baking dish and drizzle with a little melted butter. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake 30-40 minutes longer or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

~Krista