This recipe for cooking cheese chicken roulette with broccoli and Iranian saffron rolls tender chicken fillets around broccoli and cheddar after a fragrant saffron-onion marinade.
The term chicken roulette refers to the roulade shape, not a separate cut of chicken. Here, each flattened fillet is filled, rolled and baked until the cheese melts and the center is safely cooked. It is an Iranian roulette-style recipe through its use of saffron and aromatic marinade.
Ingredients for cheese chicken roulette
- 4 chicken fillets or boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- Cheddar cheese, grated, as needed
- 1 cup onion juice
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 dessertspoon garlic powder, about 2 teaspoons
- Bloomed Iranian saffron, as needed
- Salt and black pepper, as needed
- Oil or melted butter for the baking dish
Use broccoli florets small enough to fit inside a compact roll. Large pieces make gaps in the filling and can force the chicken open as it cooks.
Flatten the chicken fillets
Place one chicken fillet between two sheets of food-safe film or baking paper. Tap it gently with the flat side of a meat mallet until it is an even thickness, taking care not to tear the edges. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
If a breast is especially thick, slice it horizontally to open it like a book before flattening. Even pieces roll more neatly and finish cooking at the same time.
Make the saffron-onion marinade
Combine the onion juice, bloomed saffron, bay leaves, lemon juice, shallots, crushed garlic, carrot, celery, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a nonreactive bowl.
Add the flattened chicken and turn every piece in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Keep the raw poultry and used marinade away from cooked ingredients and serving utensils.
Blanch and cool the broccoli
While the chicken marinates, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the two cups broccoli florets and cook for up to five minutes, until bright green and just tender.
Drain immediately and cool under cold running water. Pat the florets dry; retained water would steam inside the rolls and dilute the melted cheese.
Fill and secure the chicken rolls
Heat the oven to 200°C. Lightly oil or butter a baking dish that will hold the rolls without crowding.
Lift the chicken from the marinade and brush away the bay leaf, shallot, garlic, carrot and celery pieces. Discard the used marinade.
Season the inner surface lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange a narrow line of broccoli and grated cheddar near one short edge, leaving a border around the filling.
Roll the chicken firmly around the broccoli and cheese. Secure each roulade with kitchen twine or wooden toothpicks, counting the toothpicks so all of them can be removed before serving.
Bake the chicken roulette
Place the rolls seam-side down in the prepared dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
Check the center of the thickest roll with an instant-read thermometer. Chicken should reach at least 74°C (165°F). Continue baking if needed rather than relying only on exterior color.
For deeper browning, you may briefly sear the secured rolls in a small amount of oil or butter before baking. Do not use the raw marinade as a finishing sauce.
Rest, slice and serve
Rest the baked rolls for five minutes so the cheese settles and the slices hold together. Remove every piece of twine or each toothpick before cutting.
Slice the cheese chicken roulette into thick rounds and serve while warm. Tartar sauce suits the original serving suggestion, although a simple lemony yogurt sauce or dressed salad also works well.
How to keep the filling inside
- Flatten evenly: thin spots tear, while a thick center takes longer to cook.
- Dry the broccoli: surface water loosens the filling.
- Use a modest amount of cheese: an overfilled roll opens as the cheddar melts.
- Place the seam underneath: the weight of the roulade helps hold it closed in the oven.
- Rest before slicing: cutting immediately releases hot cheese and makes the spiral less distinct.
