Chicken Roulades Autumn Veg
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Roulades of chicken with a mix of fall vegetables, lightly sautéed and nestled in a buttery white wine-emulsion sauce. Vegetables include fingerling potatoes, kohlrabi julienne, green beans, and a medley of carrot and celery root julienne. Chicken breast pounded thin, seasoned, stuffed, rolled and seared to golden brown. Sauce made by deglazing pan with white wine and vinegar, mounted with cold cubed butter. Technique focuses on texture—vegetables al dente, chicken juicy. Quick sear, then rest to preserve juices. Substitutes offered for dairy, vinegar, and veggies for wider adaptability. Tips on rolling and sauce emulsification included.
Prep:
45 min
Cook:
40 min
Total:
Servings:
4 portions
#French-inspired
#fall vegetables
#butter sauce
#rolling technique
#searing
#emulsification
Winter creeping in. Long days off, time to play with textures and colors of root veggies. Chicken breast often too dry, learned to pound and roll, keeps it juicy inside. After countless attempts stuffing with herbs, decided julienne veggies bring subtle crunch alongside. Combining celeriac for earthiness, kohlrabi for sweet peppery note, green beans for snap. All kept al dente. Fat from butter sauce melds with acidity from wine and vinegar—balance is everything. Not overwhelming but leaves a trace of glow on tongue. Searing in butter-oil mix gives caramelized crust without burning. Resting roulades crucial or moisture escaped. Learned on burnt batches. Keep sauce emulsified by whisking off heat with cold butter, tricky but worth it. Great way to use these seasonal roots, bright colors against chicken. Big thumbs up in cold months. Holds well for warming leftovers too.
Ingredients
- 6 small fingerling potatoes, quartered
- 1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
- 25 green beans, trimmed
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1 stalk celery root (celeriac), peeled and julienned
- 1 leek white part only, sliced thin julienne
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 20 ml olive oil (1 1/3 tbsp)
- 75 ml cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 2 shallots minced finely
- 25 ml white wine vinegar (1 2/3 tbsp)
- 25 ml dry white wine
- Salt and cracked black pepper
About the ingredients
Swapped dumb old parsnip for kohlrabi for crunch and slightly sweeter note. Celery root adds subtle smokiness without heavy celery weed. Fingerling potatoes small and waxy, quartered after cooking helps them keep shape—avoid boiling raw potato chunks or get mush. Butter cold and cubed crucial for sauce emulsion; add too warm and it breaks. Shallots better than onions; shorter cooking and sweeter results. White wine vinegar preferred for acidity without overpowering tartness. Can sub with apple cider vinegar in pinch but reduce quantity. Olive oil blends with butter to raise smoke point so butter doesn’t burn during sear. Use kitchen twine if no toothpicks, keeps roulades tight preventing filling splay. If gluten-free or vegan variation needed, swap butter for vegan butter and use vegetable broth deglaze instead of wine.
Method
- Vegetables first—blanch green beans and carrots separately in salted boiling water until al dente, about 3-4 minutes. Shock in ice water immediately to keep colours bright, drain thoroughly. Repeat with kohlrabi and celery root; these take slightly less time, watch for just tender bite.
- Fingerlings take longer—boil whole until just tender but still holds shape, roughly 10 minutes, then drain and quarter once cool enough to handle.
- Pat chicken dry on a sturdy board. Butterfly each breast, slice horizontally almost through, open like a book—aim for a rectangular shape for even rolling. Cover with plastic wrap, bash gently with a rolling pin or mallet to even thinness but not paper-thin. Season both sides: salt, black pepper, no mercy.
- Layer half of carrots and celery julienne in the lengthwise center strip of each breast. Reserve other half veggie mix separately for plating.
- Roll chicken tightly over filling, secure firmly with toothpicks or kitchen twine—key is tightness here, else filling escapes during cooking.
- In a large heavy skillet, warm olive oil plus 15 ml butter over medium-high. When butter foams, add roulades seam side down. Sear undisturbed about 5 minutes until deeply golden, then turn to brown all sides evenly, about 5 more minutes total. It should feel springy but firm when pressed. Don’t hurry; lock juices in. Remove roulades and tent loosely to rest.
- Discard fat leaving fond in pan, add shallots chopped fine, soften gently over medium heat—should turn translucent, not brown, around 2 minutes. Now deglaze pan with vinegar and wine, scrape up all brown bits. Let it reduce until almost dry, aromatic sharpness fades but brightness stays.
- Off heat, whisk in cold butter cubes gradually, swirl vigorously to emulsify sauce. Don’t let it boil or split; sauce will be glossy and coat spoon smoothly. Season final with salt and pepper to taste.
- While sauce emulsifies, gently reheat reserved vegetables (carrots, celery, leeks) in a splash of water or butter, just warmed through to keep crispness. Fingerlings can go into warm pan briefly too.
- Remove toothpicks. Slice roulades diagonally into 2 halves. Plating: mound veggies centered on each plate, arrange roulade halves leaning slightly. Spoon sauce over roulades and around for shine and flavor.
- Serve immediately. Texture should be tender chicken with a slight snap in vegetables, butter-wine sauce cutting through richness with a touch of acidity.
Cooking tips
Blanching veggies separately controls doneness individually. Sensory cues important: green beans should still snap when bitten; carrots just softened but with crunch; kohlrabi tender but still bitey. Chicken rolled tightly to avoid loss of filling mid-cook. Thickest part of roulade always towards heat source for even cooking. Pan temperature control critical—too hot and butter crisps/burns, too low and chicken steams, losing that golden crust. Sauce reduction signals when vinegar aroma softens but doesn’t fully vanish—then immediately add butter to avoid breaking. Whisk steadily, cold butter increments keeps sauce glossy, a classic beurre blanc style. Serve quick once plated—the sauce cools and thickens fast, losing sheen. If sauce splits, a spoon of cold water whisked in sometimes remedies. Observing stalls mid-sauce or chicken cues prevents ruined meal—trust sight, feel, and smell more than timer alone.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Blanch veggies separately to nail texture. Green beans snap; carrots soften with crunch; kohlrabi and celery root tender but bitey. Timing stands out here. Shock immediately in ice water or colors dull and texture shifts quick.
- 💡 Butter cold and cubed is non-negotiable for sauce. Add too warm and sauce breaks. Whisk off heat, slow steady swirl builds glossy sheen classic to beurre blanc. Rushing wrecks it. Keep an eye on pan temp to avoid scorching vinegar sharpness.
- 💡 Butter-oil combo raises smoke point. Pure butter burns fast at sear temps. Olive oil tempers and melds with butter flavor. Sear seam side down first, undisturbed till deep golden crust forms. Gentle pressing tests readiness — springy not mushy.
- 💡 Chicken rolled tight keeps filling inside. Use toothpicks or kitchen twine to lock. Loose roll leaks juices and filling, dry meat follows. Bash breast thin but not paper thin — aim uniform thickness for even cook; thick spots undercook, thin spots dry out.
- 💡 Sauce reduction signals subtle. Vinegar sharpness softens but brightness remains. Pull reduction too late — sauce tastes vinegary or splits. Too early — watery bland. Scrape brown bits for deep flavor, then hit it off heat with butter cubes gradually.
Common questions
How to prevent roulades falling apart?
Roll very tight. Secure toothpicks or twine used. Fillings can squeak out if loose. Pat chicken dry first for better adhesion. Resting after sear firms shape, don’t skip that.
Can I swap veggies?
Yes but texture and cook times differ big. Root veggies julienned keep crunch. Avoid mushy or watery swaps. Kohlrabi and celeriac key for earth-sweet notes. Sub vinegar with apple cider but reduce qty, acidity differs.
What if sauce splits?
Whisk cold water spoon in vigorously off heat. Add cold butter cubed slowly next. Control temp low always. If separated fat floats, rewarm gently and keep whisking slowly. Hot pan wrecks emulsify fast.
How to store leftovers?
Store roulades sliced or whole covered. Sauce separate or on top but might thicken cold. Reheat gently in pan, avoid high heat to preserve moisture and avoid drying chicken or breaking sauce.
