One of the things I like best about summertime is the barbecue. Yes, each season revolves around the types of food I get to make. And this one makes me especially happy. Not that you can't barbecue in the rain or snow (I've done that too.) There's just something comforting about warm summer evenings and the smell of food on the grill. And my husband is NOT ashamed to admit that I do the grilling in this family. In fact my mother's day present this year included a nice new set of grilling utensils and this mama was truly ecstatic. So I've committed to trying new bbq recipes this year and branching out a bit. It's hard to go wrong with anything grilled. And when I ran across this recipe I wondered why I had never attempted to grill a stuffed piece of meat before... genius!! And absolutely delicious. No plate was left uncleaned (even Aubrey's...)
*I opted for the lighter version of cream cheese in place of the mascarpone for both cost and nutrition reasons (8 oz. for $2 as opposed to $6 and 4.5 g of fat per ounce as opposed to 14!) but I can guarantee you that it did not sacrifice the taste. These were simply amazing.
Cherry-Chicken Roll-Ups
4 oz. mascarpone cheese (or 1/2 of an 8 oz tub cream cheese)
1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For filling, in a small bowl, combine cheese, dried cherries and green onions. Set aside.
Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with a meat mallet to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap and divide filling evenly over each chicken breast, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edges. Roll up from a short end taking care to keep filling inside and secure with toothpicks.
For rub, in a small bowl combine brown sugar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over chicken roll-ups and rub in with your fingers.
Grill directly over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees.) OR prepare grill for indirect cooking (preheating one side to medium heat and placing meat on opposite side, closing lid) and grill for 25 minutes.
