Chicken and Asparagus Rolls

When I saw this on my mom's Pinterest page, I knew it wouldn't be long before I tried it out!

Recipe: (marthastewart.com via Pinterest)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR 8 chicken cutlets
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
8 spears asparagus, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then crosswise

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  If using chicken breasts, split each chicken breast in half horizontally with a sharp knife, then pound between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Season with salt and pepper on both sides.  (I used cutlets - less mess)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute chicken breasts and garlic until chicken is light brown on one side only; about 2 minutes.  Discard garlic.  (May need to do 2 batches.)

Transfer chicken to a baking sheet, browned side down.

Sprinkle chicken with half the cheese; layer each with a tomato slice and 4 asparagus pieces.

Roll up; secure with a toothpick.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over chicken rolls.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.

Remove toothpicks and serve with a side of brown rice for a fresh, healthy meal.

Verdict:
Delicious!  The chicken was tender and well flavored.  The asparagus and tomato were not overcooked or mushy.  The rolls held their shape decently after the toothpicks were removed, so the presentation remained on the pretty side.

Preparation-wise this is pretty time consuming; although, it did take me just under an hour from start to finish so no too bad.

I found, with the chicken cutlets at least, that a half slice of tomato made it much easier to roll up the chicken.  With a whole slice it was too stuffed, and the ends wouldn't meet.  It also helps the process out immensely if you had prepped pretty much everything beforehand and have it all easily accessible.  This includes getting out the approximate number of toothpicks you will use (I used 2 per roll) and setting them apart from the rest of your toothpick supply as you will be grabbing at them with raw chicken fingers and will want to discard any unused toothpicks you may have accidentally touched.  (Or have a helper hand you the toothpicks.)

But all in all, this was a delicious meal that I look forward to making again.