Olive tapenade is extremely versatile and can be used as a spread or filling in many different dishes. You can also use it in place of more traditional party dips such as hummus, guacamole, salsa or roasted bell pepper spread. In this recipe, I added goat cheese to the tapenade and used the mixture as a filling for chicken rolls. I served the dish with a mildly sweet carrot purée that makes an excellent foil to the savory flavor of the tapenade.
If it’s not part of your culinary repertoire yet, you should definitely learn to prepare tapenade. It will open up a whole new world of easy to prepare, delectable dishes.
1. Info for Olive Tapenade Chicken Rolls
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Servings: 6
- Calories: 300kcal
2. Ingredients for Olive Tapenade Chicken Rolls
- 3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 4 cloves pickled garlic, drained and finely minced
- 2 anchovy filets (optional), finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons non-pareil capers (see tips), drained
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1-½ teaspoons black pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons goat cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon thyme (or regular thyme)
- 6 chicken breast halves (about 1-½ pounds), boneless and skinless
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt (or regular salt)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, as needed
- 2 teaspoons papaya paste (see tips)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons honey mustard
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche (or sour cream)
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
3. Directions:
- Coarsely chop ½ cup of olives using a chef’s knife and reserve the rest.
- In a mini-food processor (or blender), combine capers, anchovies (if used), lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of sugar, pickled garlic, lemon thyme, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of goat cheese. Pulse until smooth. Slowly add 2/3 cup of olive oil. Pulse until the oil is well incorporated. Transfer to a bowl. Add the chopped olives (I like the coarse texture of the olives for this recipe; otherwise you can always blend them with the rest of the mixture) and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir well using a spatula. Check seasoning; depending on the saltiness of the anchovies, add more salt if necessary.
- Remove the fat around the bottom of the breast if there is any. Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry using paper towels.
- Season the chicken with salt, cayenne pepper and pepper. Add the fresh minced garlic, papaya paste and baking powder. Toss well. Place the chicken in a large bowl or a sealable zip-top bag. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- The next day, pat the meat dry one more time using paper towels.
- Transfer one chicken breast at a time onto a cutting board previously lined with a piece of plastic wrap. Place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken like a sandwich. Pound the meat using a meat tenderizer mallet to about ½-inch thick.
- In a large non-stick pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook on high heat until slightly golden. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until soft and tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the caramelized shallots to a bowl. Set aside.
- Place one chicken breast on a cutting board. Spread about 1 to 1-½ tablespoons of the goat tapenade filling evenly over the chicken. Carefully roll up the chicken breast tightly. Using 2 pieces of twine, secure the stuffed chicken roll. Repeat with the 5 remaining chicken breasts. Season the outer surface of each roll with more salt and pepper.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, sprinkle some all flour around the chicken rolls and shake off the excess flour.
- In the pan, add the rest of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, pan-sear each side of the rolls for about 1-½ minutes (a total of about 9 minutes) until golden. Finish with a drizzle of red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Quickly transfer the chicken rolls to a platter. At this point the chicken isn’t cooked completely; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Add chicken broth to the hot pan, bring to a boil and scrape the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon (called deglazing). Reduce (uncovered) the liquid to about 2-3 tablespoons. Add the honey mustard and remaining goat cheese. Bring to a boil again and cook for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to low. Add the crème fraîche, stirring continuously. Adjust seasoning of the sauce with salt and pepper. Add the reserved caramelized shallots, the rest of the olives and chicken rolls. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
- Snip and discard the twine threads. Cover the chicken rolls with olive sauce. Serve warm. Garnish with more flat-leaf parsley.
- I paired it with carrot purée on the side (I’ll post the recipe soon). Serve warm.
- Bon appétit!