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The first thing you need to do is to decide what you're going to stuff inside that piece of chicken. I've seen chicken bursting with broccoli and cheese and ham and cheese. As you know, I'm trying to reduce the fat, salt, sugar, and calories in my dishes without diminishing flavor, so my version does not use cheese. Instead, I made use of some fresh vegetables: grape tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. I added all three to a small saucepan (with a tablespoon of canola oil) and let everything cook down into almost a chutney or salsa texture. If you recreate this dish, be sure to use more tomato and spinach than you think you need; both ingredients cook down to almost nothing with a little time. I let the cooked vegetable mixture sit and cool for a few hours, but you can certainly use it right away.
The next step (or the first step, if you're using a cold filler) is to butterfly and pound out chicken breasts. This might be intimidating, but here's the strategy I use. I set the chicken breast on a cutting board and find the thinner side of the breast. I carefully use a knife, sort of horizontally, to cut a slit in the thin side. Work the knife across the breast, stopping just short of the wider edge. You want to leave the edge intact. I find it helpful to peel the chicken breast apart gently as I'm cutting with the knife so that I can see the edge approaching and not cut through it. For stuffed chicken, it's essential that you not end up with holes, otherwise your stuffing is going to leak out.
Once you've made the cut, place the breast on a piece of plastic wrap, with another piece on top of it. Whack the heck out of the breast with a meat tenderizer (the flat side) or anything solid and flat. For this meal, I used a heavy ceramic mug. In the past I have used a small frying pan. You want to pound the meat in such a way that the thicker portions thin out and almost match the thinnest part of the chicken. You're also trying to create a nice, flat, wide surface on which to place your filling.
Once the meat is flattened, decide which direction you're going to roll your meat. Place the filling across the middle of the chicken perpendicular to the direction you're rolling it. When you've rolled the chicken, you may want to use a toothpick to keep it together. However, to brown and cook the meat, you'll need to remove or move the toothpick, so I opted not to use it. In a deep pan (my trusty chicken fryer, no less), I heated some canola oil (just enough to ensure the chicken won't stick). I placed the rolled pieces of chicken with the tucked end down (with the smooth chicken facing you). Brown both sides of the chicken (I seasoned the outside with black pepper), maneuvering it carefully so that your roll doesn't unfurl.
For my dish, because I used tomato in the filling, I chose to dump a can of stewed tomatoes (no salt added!) over the chicken and to let the meat cook in the tomatoes for about twenty minutes. The firm-to-the-touch test works for chicken cooked like this, too, so use it to determine when your chicken is done.
The side for this was simple: egg noodles tossed with some of the stewed tomatoes, spinach, and peas. I seasoned it with some black pepper and a pinch of salt. I thought the noodles needed a little more flavor, but Ram loved them. For my taste, I would probably add a little tomato sauce to the noodles, too, just to take them the extra mile.
When you learn the techniques to cook restaurant-style food at home (and when you've got the luxury of a little more prep time), you might find yourself having dinner in a little more often. Stuffed chicken has endless possibilities, so grab your favorite ingredients, and give it a try. You'll find yourself impressed with yourself with fork in hand.
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