Bored of the usual bland chicken breast for dinner? Try this easy and elegant recipe for pesto and sun-dried tomato chicken roulades, made with only four ingredients! It’s surprisingly simple to make.

What's a more ubiquitous “healthy” weeknight dinner than chicken breasts? Sure, it’s easy to prepare, budget friendly and family friendly. Too bad it's usually bland and totally boring.

When I ask new clients about prior attempts at changing their eating habits, they often reply that they tried to eat healthy, but found it boring. When I dig deeper, it's because they went on what I unaffectionately call the "Baked Chicken Diet." Basically they are trying to eat healthier, but feel overwhelmed with all the conflicting diet information out there, so they default to baked chicken breasts, broccoli and brown rice. It’s so ubiquitous I actually made a tasty version of it for my book Gentle Nutrition to show that it actually can be tasty! My version involes seared chicken with a pan sauce, parmesan roasted broccoli, and brown rice cooked with sauteed onions and chicken broth.

This recipe for pesto and sun-dried tomato chicken roulades is another recipe that’ll help you reclaim chicken breasts from diet culture! It looks fancy, but it takes no time and all and uses only four ingredients. It’s actually one of the first chicken recipes I learned how to make in college, so you know it’s simple! Simply spread one side of a chicken cutlet with pesto, top it with some sun-dried tomatoes, roll it up and secure with toothpicks, then bake. Slice the roulades and serve!

Chicken Roulade Recipe Adaptions:

Once you’ve made chicken roulades, you can experiment with different fillings. Here’s a few favorites:

Dried figs and blue cheese
Grainy mustard, caramelized onions, bacon, and cheddar
Prosciutto and goat cheese
Ricotta and sauteed spinach
Roasted red pepper and goat cheese
Harissa, feta and olives

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Roulade Serving Suggestions:

Here’s a few ideas for side dishes to serve with this recipe for chicken roulades:

Orzo or another small pasta - pictured here are the chicken roulades served with pasta tossed with butter, parmesan, herbs and sauteed shredded zucchini.
Mashed or roasted potatoes
A yummy Italian bread, like my no-knead focaccia with roasted garlic
Steamed rice
Roasted veggies, like my roasted green beans and mushrooms with garlicky breadcrumbs
Braised or sauteed greens, like my bacon-braised mustard greens or simple sauteed spinach
A side salad, like my favorite chopped side salad or fig and prosciutto salad

If you like this recipe for pesto and sun-dried tomato chicken roulades, follow my favorite fancy chicken recipes Pinterest board for more cooking inspiration.

This recipe for chicken roulades was originally published August 2013. Recipe, images and text were updated 12/23 to give you the best possible content.

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Roulades

Serves 4ish

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
Pesto
Sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Toothpicks
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread one side of each chicken cutlet with a thin layer of pesto, about 2-3 teaspoons for each cutlet. Sprinkle a few sun-dried tomato slices over the pesto. Roll up each cutlet, keeping the pesto and sun-dried tomato on the inside, and secure with a couple toothpicks.
Drizzle the roulades with olive oil and rub all over the outside. Season with salt and black pepper and spread evenly on a baking dish.
Bake the chicken roulades in the upper third of the oven for 20-25 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Slice each chicken thigh into 1-inch rounds and serve.