#15 Southwestern Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups

You know you see something that makes you stop in your tracks? Well this recipe right here definitely did that for me. I had my week planned, but when I saw this the record screeched and I made immediate changes to fit this into my plans. I had company over for dinner and it was a #1 hit!
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/southwestern-cheese-stuffed-chicken-roll-ups-recipe/1/print/

Now I'll be entirely honest, this recipe says it takes 30 minutes prep time, for me it was more like an hour to hour and half. That doesn't include the extra grocery run I had to make when I realized I purchased the wrong ingredient the day before. When I finally got it in the oven I said I will NEVER do something so time & labor intensive again, (I probably lied to myself). And be warned this is not a toddler friendly meal at all. Not in the prep stage, nor in the eating stage. This recipe packs a ton of heat but for anyone who can handle some spice, it is very yummy.

My chicken didn't look anywhere near as pretty as the original recipe photo, but I'm keeping it real, and showing you what mine looked like! I used 3-5 toothpicks on each piece of chicken to hold it together, yet there was still some leakage. No worries because that didn't affect the taste at all. I served it with steamed broccoli and my favorite go to side dish, Idahoan baby red instant potatoes. I think the broccoli went with it best. If you're up for the prep work, this is a great dish to try. 

Southwest Cheese-stuffed Chicken Roll-ups

• 1  8 oz container chives-and-onion cream cheese spread
• 3/4  tsp garlic powder
• 1/3  cup drained jalapeño slices 
• 1/2  cup canned drained whole kernel corn
• 6  taco shells coarsely broken (I used tortilla chips and crushed them with the meat mallet)
• 3/4  tsp chili powder
• 4  boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 6 and still had leftover filling)
• 2  tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2  to 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3  tbsp honey
• 1  cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 
• 1 2/3  cups chunky salsa
• 2/3  cup sour cream

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, garlic powder, jalapeños and corn; set aside.
2. Place broken taco shells (chips) in resealable plastic bag. Crush with rolling pin (hammer) until coarsely ground. Pour crumbs into shallow dish; stir in chili powder. (I added my chili powder to the bag as I crushed, and it mixed quickly and easy)
3. 3Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast, smoothside down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. 
4. Spread butter over one side of each chicken breast.
5. 4Place about 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture on center of buttered side of each chicken breast; roll up chicken. 
6. Pour buttermilk into shallow dish. Dip chicken rolls in buttermilk, then coat with crumb mixture. Insert toothpick to secure. Place in ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. 
7. Drizzle with honey.
8. 5Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. 
9. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend; bake 4 to 5 minutes longer until cheese is melted. 
10. Serve with salsa and sour cream.