Chicken involtini, or chicken braciole, look and taste complex, but are really quite simple. Chicken breasts are pounded thin and rolled around a sauteed spinach, mushroom, and fontina cheese mixture, lightly seared, and finished in a lemon white wine sauce. A go-to dish for when you want a beautiful presentation, but don’t want to jump through hoops to create it.
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This chicken involtini recipe has quickly become a favorite way to eat chicken in our home and was inspired by beef braciole, a dish I grew up eating as part of our family’s Sunday dinner.
Involtini with chicken are a bit simpler and don’t require hours of cooking in a Sunday sauce.
In fact, from start to finish, it takes less than an hour to prepare.
Similar in flavor to my spinach stuffed chicken breasts, these chicken involtini are essentially chicken rolled around a mixture of spinach, mushrooms, and fontina cheese.
Perfect served alongside roasted potatoes, rice pilaf, or even more sauteed spinach and sauteed garlic mushrooms, this dish is a hit with even the pickiest eaters!
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Pro tip: Make large portions of both the spinach and mushrooms linked above and save them for when you make this recipe. That will cut down on some prep and cooking time and make the process far easier!
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- In a large pan saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until golden (about 2 minutes) then add the spinach. Cook spinach until wilted and season with salt and pepper. Remove spinach from heat and set aside. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, drain by pressing through a fine-mesh strainer. Chop the spinach and set it aside.
- Heat the same pan to medium and saute the mushrooms in olive oil until they release their water (about 5 minutes). Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the drained spinach, mushrooms, 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese, and a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Also, preheat the oven to 375f.
- Spread out 8-10 thin chicken cutlets (use either storebought thin sliced cutlets or pound them out to a 1/4-inch thickness) and pat them dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper then place 2-3 tablespoons of the spinach mixture onto the cutlets.
- Roll the chicken then secure with a toothpick. Next place the chicken involtini into flour and dredge, shaking off the excess. Note: Don’t worry – most of the stuffing will stay inside the chicken while searing after securing with the toothpicks.
- Heat a large pan (preferably stainless steel) to medium heat and wait 3 minutes. Once the pan is hot add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Work in batches, if required, to not crowd the pan. Place all the seared chicken onto a plate and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add 4 cloves of sliced garlic. If the pan is very dry add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the garlic until golden (about 2 minutes) then add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and a 1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock. Turn the heat to high and reduce the liquid by half (about 2-3 minutes). While reducing, use a wooden spoon to dislodge the flavorful brown bits from the pan.
- Once the sauce is adequately reduced remove the pan from the heat and taste test. Season with salt and pepper if necessary – it probably won’t be – then add 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
- Return the chicken rolls to the pan and add 2 tablespoons of cubed butter. Also, spoon a bit of sauce onto the chicken then sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs on top of each piece of chicken involtini. You don’t have to use all the breadcrumbs here. Just a thin coating will suffice.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp of the chicken reaches 160f. Once finished cooking remove the pan from the oven and add 2 tablespoons of minced parsley. If you want the sauce a bit thicker simply move the chicken to a plate and tent with foil. Heat the sauce over medium-high for a few minutes until it reduces then turn off the heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter and whisk it into the sauce. Enjoy!
Top tips
- The chicken. Good involtini doesn’t just have a delicious stuffing – the chicken should also be moist and tender. To accomplish this, pound the cutlets to 1/4 inch thick. This will tenderize the meat and will further thin the cutlets making them easier to roll.
- The cheese. I used fontina cheese for this recipe because I love the slightly pungent flavor and fontina’s ability to melt. If you can’t find fontina, you could substitute with mozzarella, provolone, or even swiss.
- The wine. I used a Sauvignon Blanc for my sauce, but any dry white wine will work. Pinot Grigio would be another good choice. If you prefer to not use wine, simply substitute with an extra 1/2 of low sodium chicken stock.
- Tying it all together. I used toothpicks to secure the chicken, however, if you’d like you can also use kitchen twine. Either way, don’t forget to remove the toothpicks or twine before eating!
More great chicken recipes
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Chicken involtini
Ingredients
For the sauteed spinach
- 1/4 cup (60g) olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 pound (226g) spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauteed mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons (30g) olive oil
- 1/2 pound (226g) mushrooms diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Remaining ingredients
- 8 large chicken cutlets pounded 1/4 thick, about 2 pounds (908g) of chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60g) olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup (65g) flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons (30g) lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120g) dry white wine
- 1/2 cup (120g) low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup (113g) shredded fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup (50g) Italian seasoned breadcrumbs divided
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter cubed
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
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Instructions
For the sauteed spinach
- In a large pan saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until golden (about 2 minutes) then add the spinach. Cook spinach until wilted and season with salt and pepper. Remove spinach from heat and set aside.
- Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, drain by pressing through a fine-mesh strainer. Chop the spinach and set it aside.
For the sauteed mushrooms
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and saute the mushrooms in olive oil until they release their water (about 5 minutes).
- Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the chicken involtini
- Preheat oven to 375f.
- Drain any residual moisture from the mushrooms and spinach and place into a bowl along with the fontina cheese and a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Layer 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the chicken. Roll the chicken then dredge in flour and shake off the excess. Secure the chicken with toothpicks. Repeat for remaining chicken. Any extra stuffing can be saved for another purpose.
- Heat a large oven-safe pan to medium. Once hot, add the olive oil and the chicken. Sear the chicken until brown on all sides (around 2 minutes per side) then move to a plate.
- Add the garlic to the pan and saute until golden (about 2 minutes) then add the wine and chicken stock. Turn heat to high and with a wooden spoon remove the brown bits. Cook for 2 minutes or until reduced by about half. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the pan from the burner and add the chicken to the pan. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining breadcrumbs and add the lemon juice and butter pieces into the sauce. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160f.
- After removing the chicken involtini from the oven, add the parsley to the sauce. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before removing the toothpicks and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- The chicken can be tied with string instead of using toothpicks.
- If the sauce is too thin move the chicken to a plate and just cook the sauce over medium-high for a few minutes to reduce and thicken. You can also add another knob of cold butter and whisk in before serving to emulsify the sauce.
- Extra stuffing can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and should be heated before consuming due to it being used for raw chicken.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated until warm on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made these exactly as stated in the recipe. It is an easy to follow recipe. The taste is so so good. Everyone in the family loved it. I will definitely be making this again.
So happy you enjoyed!
Hi, I need your sloppy Joe recipe . I saw it then lost
It. Looks delicious- thank you
Hi Sandy, here is the link to that recipe, but please note in the future you can always use the search functionality here on the website (looks like a magnifying glass icon) to search for any recipe you’re looking for. https://www.sipandfeast.com/sloppy-joes/
That looks absolutely amazing I would love the recipe.
Hi Kathleen, you’re commenting on the recipe post. Look to the section above the comments and you’ll see the recipe.
This was perfetto. I combined slightly with another recipe and added ricotta to the spinach/mushroom mixture and a pinch of red pepper flakes; then placed a slice of prosciutto on each cutlet before rolling up. But otherwise stuck to this recipe. Delizioso!
So happy you enjoyed, Adrienne!
This looks absolutely, delicious! I’m actually, going to attempt to make this next weekend. I think James was a little to hard on you. It definitely, deserves a 9 or a 10.
Thanks, Kim! Hope you enjoy it!
I swapped the spinach for Swiss Chard. This is a great recipe. My husband said it was restaurant grade. Delish!
We’re happy you and your husband enjoyed, Marie!
Will shitake mushrooms work?
Yes.
Looks good
Can this be cooked ahead up until finishing in the oven? I want to make for Christmas but don’t want the mess, I won’t have time. What’s your thoughts on this?
Yes, that is fine.