Lemon Chicken Spedini

Tonight I hearkened back to my days waiting tables in an Italian restaurant and tried to make Chicken Spedini. Actually, I was inspired by Whitney's suggestion that I make Chicken Parmesan with chicken that had been marinated in lemony-ness. This was better than I even thought it would be! Not that I thought it would be bad, I just wasn't sure, considering the worrisome amount of just making stuff up I was doing. That being said, the amounts below are my best guess because I really didn't measure anything (at all). And, of note, the picture also includes a salad with eggplant that Lauren made. I don't know the recipe for that one, but it was tasty too and it makes my Spedini look all official on the plate! Be sure to wear your favorite watermelon swimsuit and make rude faces when you enjoy your Spedini dinner.

Lemon Chicken Spedini

Ingredients
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 large chicken breasts - pounded thin
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup mozzarella/feta cheese blend (or any delicious cheese you like)
sauce of your choice

Instructions
1. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Marinate the thinned-out chicken breasts in this mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Whisk the egg and milk together in a small cup. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate or bowl.

3. Lay the chicken breast out on a cutting board. Layer some spinach leaves on top of the chicken breast and then sprinkle the cheese over the top. Roll the chicken breast up around the fillings and use toothpicks to hold it shut. Do not be embarrassed if it takes lots of toothpicks and looks really silly, you will remove them later.

4. Brush the outside of the chicken roll-up with the egg mixture and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. Place coated chicken breasts on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Serve with any sauce you like (pesto, marinara, alfredo, all three...). I used the same tomato cream sauce recipe that I made for the Polish Cabbage Rolls and it worked really well here too!