Chicken rollatini is a delicious and tender Italian-American dish made by rolling thinly sliced chicken breast with a savory filling of prosciutto and creamy seasoned ricotta. The rolls are then seared and simmered in a marinara sauce.
A small amount of ricotta may escape while the chicken simmers. That is not a failure-the ricotta blends into the tomatoes and creates a slightly creamy pink sauce.
Looking for more classic Italian-American Chicken dishes? Try our Spicy Chicken With Prosciutto And Cheese or Chicken Scarpariello.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Chicken Rollatini
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Chicken breast, ricotta, prosciutto, and marinara sauce.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This chicken rollatini is the kind of meal that looks like you worked all day on it, but it's really just tender chicken rolled with ricotta and prosciutto, simmered in tomato sauce, and served over pasta or rice.
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My Family's Chicken Rollatini
Eggplant rollatini is obviously the one everyone always thinks of, but I always love making this Chicken Rollatini with creamy ricotta and prosciutto, simmered in a marinara sauce. It's the perfect dish to serve for dinner because it elevates chicken breast and you can boil some pasta to serve with the leftover sauce.
I know chicken breast can feel kind of boring, but there are a million ways to dress it up. Whether you make Restaurant-Style Chicken Marsala or Chicken Francese, it's an easy ingredient to do a lot with. Even cooking a Cast Iron Chicken Breast can be delicious if done correctly.
The flavorful ricotta filling with the tender chicken breast is so easy to love. I also love the bit of ricotta cheese that leaks out into the sauce to make it that slightly pink and cheesy color! It reminds me of the sauce when I make Authentic Italian Baked Ziti or Italian Pink Sauce with Sausage.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken Breast. Slice your chicken breast thin and pound it out so that you have a large piece of chicken that makes it easy to stuff. Always start rolling from the narrow side first to keep the ricotta from all falling out.
- Crushed Tomatoes. Substitute whole plum tomatoes and puree them, or you can substitute tomato puree. See our Ultimate Guide to Marinara Sauce to learn about making sauce for these classic recipes.
- Ricotta Filling. The ricotta filling gives the chicken all of its flavor! The creamy, delicious cheese stuffing is the star of this dish! You can read more tips on it in our ricotta filling recipe!
- Mozzarella. Use whole milk low-moisture mozzarella for the best melting results.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Chicken Rollatini
This recipe looks like a restaurant-style meal, or something served at a wedding, but really, it just takes a few steps to prep it, and once it's in the sauce, the hard work is done!
Step 1: Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic to make the ricotta filling.
Step 2: Slice each chicken breast into 3 thin slices. Tenderize them by pounding them with a meat tenderizer. Lay a slice of prosciutto on each slice of chicken breast.
Step 3: Top each slice of prosciutto with ¼ cup of the ricotta filling and spread it evenly. Roll up the chicken with the ricotta inside and use a piece of cooking twine to tie the chicken into a roll.
*Pro-tip: Toothpicks can work in place of twine, but I highly recommend the twine because it will make this recipe so much easier.
Step 4: Place the flour on a plate and roll the chicken in the flour until completely coated.
Step 5a: Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, sear the chicken for 5-6 minutes, turning every 2 minutes until golden brown,1-2 minutes.
Step 5b: Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Do this in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Some of the cheese is going to leak out. That's normal; just try to be gentle when flipping the chicken.
Step 6: Lower the heat to medium-low. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Add the chicken rollatini to the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Step 8: The sauce will lighten to an orange color while simmering. Try to stir gently while simmering to avoid burning the sauce.
Step 9: Remove the chicken from the sauce and stir in the basil. Cut the twine off of the chicken. Serve the chicken rollatini topped with sauce and parmesan. Use the sauce for some spaghetti or rigatoni to serve as a side. Serve with your favorite vegetable like our Italian Cabbage Recipe or another classic like Traditional Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Pro-Tips
- The ricotta filling can be made in advance! Read more about ricotta filling tips here!
- Using cooking twine is the best way to make sure all of the ricotta doesn't just leak out of the chicken. Otherwise, the chicken tends to unravel as it sears.
- The chicken doesn't have to get cooked all the way through when searing. You will cook it to 165 degrees F in the sauce.
- Do not dredge the rolls in flour until immediately before searing. The flour will soak into the chicken and then not give you the crisp, golden brown crust when you sear it.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken rollatini is made of thinly sliced chicken breast rolled with prosciutto and seasoned ricotta. It is then dredged in flour, fried, and then simmered in tomato sauce.
It's best to use kitchen twine to do this, but you can substitute it with toothpicks. Toothpicks make it really hard to sear, though, and the twine does a better job of keeping the roll together.
Store chicken rollatini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or simmer in the sauce on the stovetop until warmed through.
What to serve with Chicken Rollatini
The number one thing to serve with this dish is pasta! Serve the chicken rollatini alongside the sauce mixed with spaghetti or linguine!
- Salad. A great option to serve it with is a salad! Serve this with a delicious Caesar salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing and Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons.
- Veggies. This dish is begging for an easy veggie. Serve it with some Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan), Sauteed Rapini with Garlic, or the BEST Garlic Parmesan Green Beans!
- Dessert. Every good meal needs a good dessert! Try our Pistachio Cream Tiramisu or Chewy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!
More Ricotta Stuffed Classics
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
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Chicken Rollatini
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large bowl
- cooking twine
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 9 slices prosciutto
- 6 basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup flour
Ricotta Filling
- 16 oz whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup mozzarella
- ½ cup parmesan
- 2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, and garlic to make the ricotta filling.
- Slice each chicken breast into 3 thin slices. Tenderize them by pounding them with a meat tenderizer. Lay a slice of prosciutto on each slice of chicken breast. Top each slice of prosciutto with ¼ cup of the ricotta filling and spread it evenly.
- Roll up the chicken with the ricotta inside and use a piece of cooking twine to tie the chicken into a roll. Place the flour on a plate and roll the chicken in the flour until completely coated.
- Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, sear the chicken for 5-6 minutes, turning every 2 minutes until golden brown,1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Do this in 2 batches.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the chicken rollatini to the sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165℉.
- Remove the chicken from the sauce and stir in the basil. Cut the twine off of the chicken. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve with extra parmesan. Use the sauce for some spaghetti or rigatoni to serve as a side.
Video
Notes
- The ricotta filling can be made in advance! Read more about ricotta filling tips here!
- Using cooking twine is the best way to make sure all of the ricotta doesn't just leak out of the chicken. Otherwise, the chicken tends to unravel as it sears.
- The chicken doesn't have to get cooked all the way through when searing. You will cook it to 165 degrees F in the sauce.
- Do not dredge the rolls in flour until immediately before searing. The flour will soak into the chicken and then not give you the crisp, golden brown crust when you sear it.
Vincent DelGiudice says
Chicken rollatini is so delicious and the creamy ricotta filling makes it one of my favorite chicken dishes. Let me know what you think!