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Roasted Poblano Chicken Pinwheels make us crave even more chicken dinners. Better chicken dinners—made from scratch.

roasted poblano chicken dinner with black beans and lime wedges

ABOUT ROASTED POBLANO CHICKEN PINWHEELS

Another easy chicken dinner? Yes, it’s easy, even though it takes a little time.

More importantly, now we have another tasty chicken dinner. No, tiresome dry chicken breast.

Roasted poblanos, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and avocado all contribute to the excellent flavor and health benefits. And, the cheese, well you already know it’s melty goodness.

Don’t miss this one. Your table needs it. Plus, I suspect this recipe might make your favorites list like it has mine.

The large chicken breasts make enough to serve 4 people. Some diners won’t want their full portion. No problem. We slice the chicken into 1 ½” pieces so it makes it easy for people to grab just the amount they want. Like chicken nuggets. But, better.

This healthy and craveable chicken dinner works great for parties, serving kids with smaller appetites, and serving adults who just exercised and need more protein.

HELPFUL EQUIPMENT
Baking sheet for broiler – broil the poblanos on the baking sheet
Towel – wrap the poblanos in a lint free kitchen towel
Plastic bag – once the poblanos sit snug in the towel wrap them in plastic or place them in a covered dish and trap the heat
Cutting board – for prep and for laying the plastic wrap and chicken on
Sharp knife – slice the chicken using a boning knife or a chef’s knife
Meat pounder/tenderizer – used to flatten the meat into a thin even layer for even cooking
Plastic wrap – for wrapping each chicken breast and shaping it into a roll
9×13 baking dish – bake the chicken in this. It can fit in the freezer for make ahead meal prep. Alternatively, use another shallow baking dish with a lid
Parchment paper – optional. I like using this underneath foil when I cover the 9×13 pan
Aluminum foil – for covering the 9×13. I use unbleached parchment paper between the foil and the food

INGREDIENTS
Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
Poblano chili peppers – roasted, peeled, and diced. ¾ cup diced
Olive oil, plus oil to coat the baking dish – high quality, organic, extra-virgin, first cold-pressed
Sea salt – with minerals, no additives, not iodized table salt
Coriander – the recipe calls for ground. I recommend keeping whole in stock and grinding it using a mortar and pestle for more flavor
Cumin – again the recipe asks for ground. I prefer buying whole and grinding it myself using the mortar and pestle
Mozzarella cheese – your favorite mozzarella. Hopefully without additives like vinegar etc.
Cilantro – finely chopped cilantro gives amazing flavor to this chicken. Save ¼ cup for making a Cilantro-Avocado Cream topping
Lime wedges – optional. Serve the chicken with lime wedges on the side

PREP BEFORE COOKING THIS MAKE AHEAD CHICKEN DINNER

Can I prep this one ahead and then bake the chicken pinwheels just before a dinner party at night? Absolutely. It’s one of the benefits of this healthy chicken dinner—makes it easier to hang out with friends when they arrive rather than rushing around.

After prepping the chicken, simply keep the wrapped chicken rolls in the refrigerator and transfer them to the freezer about 4 hours before you plan to slice and bake the chicken.

Alternatively, freeze the chicken rolls for 2-4 hours. Remove them from the freezer. Slice the rolls into pinwheels. Place the pinwheels in an olive oil coated baking pan, sprinkle with sea salt, and cover them with 1 cup shredded mozzarella as stated in the recipe below. Cover the 9×13 baking pan with parchment and then foil. Freeze until ready to bake. (This may result in needing an extra 5-10 minutes or so of baking time depending on how long you freeze them.)

SET UP YOUR SPACE

Set out all your ingredients and equipment before starting. Read through the whole recipe once.
Have a cutting board ready with one piece of plastic wrap on it for the first piece of chicken. Set out enough wrap for each piece of chicken.
Grate the mozzarella cheese if you don’t have it shredded already.

butterfly chicken breast with roasted poblano and mozzarella

HOW TO ROLL THE CHICKEN

Prep the chicken on the plastic for easy rolling.
Flatten the chicken with the meat pounder and then add all the seasonings and toppings.
Lift the plastic wrap on the long side of the chicken (or choose whichever side looks easiest to roll) and begin to roll it into a spiral.
Keep the plastic and the chicken tight. Keep using the plastic to do the rolling. Do not roll the plastic into the center of the chicken.

rolling a chicken breast for a healthy chicken dinner

HOW TO SERVE

Serve this healthy chicken dinner with chopped cilantro and sliced avocado or a homemade cilantro-avocado cream sauce. Offer lime wedges as well.
Consider adding a side of black beans and a salad.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

If you need to make them in the morning, or the day before, simply refrigerate the chicken rolls and then freeze them for 2-6 hours before you slice them into pinwheels.
Make sure you try the cilantro-avocado sauce on them at some point.

chicken rolled for a healthy chicken dinner

roasted poblano chicken topped with mozzarella cheese

WHAT TO AVOID

Don’t freeze them overnight, or for longer than 6 hours unless you plan on defrosting them a bit. It makes them too difficult to slice.
Don’t overcook them, the chicken dries out.
Don’t let roasting poblanos deter you. It’s simple. A little broiling, a little resting, a little peeling and presto. Fresh roasted poblanos.
Don’t roll the plastic into the chicken. Make sure all plastic stays on the outside of the chicken roll.

Roasted Poblano Chicken Pinwheels