Southwestern Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups *Turned Tacos*

A couple of days ago, I wanted to try a new recipe called Southwestern Cheese-Stuffed Rolls-Ups from the Pillsbury website.

These are all of the ingredients you need:

I thought I had all of the right ingredients, but when I went to start the chicken, I noticed that I had purchased small thin chicken tenderloins, which were NOT going to be big enough to fill with all of the ingredients. When I bought them in the package, it seemed like a good idea because they were thin and I thought they would be great for stuffing. They were just too small to wrap around. So.... after being somewhat disappointed and thinking I couldn't make the recipe at all now, I decided to improvise! And then came the idea to just use all of these ingredients to make tacos. And that's what I did! So, we have our "Southwestern Chicken Tacos" instead :) I served them with some delicious Cheese-Garlic Biscuits [see how I made it!]and leftover corn from the tacos.

Here is the original recipe:

Southwestern Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups (from Pillsbury website)

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

1 container (8 oz) chives-and-onion cream cheese spread
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup drained Old El Paso pickled jalapeno slices (from 12 oz. jar)
1/2 cup canned (drained) Green Giant whole kernel corn
6 Old El Paso taco shells (from 4.6 oz box), coarsely broken
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons Land O Lakes Unsalted or Salter butter, melted
1/2 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (4 oz)
1 2/3 cups Old El Paso Thick N Chunky Salsa
2/3 cup sour cream

1. Heat oven to 350*. In medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, garlic powder, jalapenos and corn; set aside.
2. Place broken taco shells in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Crush taco shells with rolling pin until coarsely ground. (Or, place broken taco shells in food processor bowl with metal blade; process until coarsely ground). Pour crumbs into shallow dish; stir in chili powder.
3. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast, smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. Spread butter over one side of each chicken breast.
4. Place about 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture on center of buttered side of each chicken breast; roll up chicken. Pour buttermilk into shallow dish. Dip chicken rolls in buttermilk, then coat with crumb mixture. Insert toothpick to secure. Place in ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. Drizzle with honey.
5. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend; bake 4 to 5 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

1 Serving: Calories 780 (Calories from Fat 420); Total Fat 47g (Saturated Fat 26g, Trans Fat 2 1/2g); Cholesterol 205mg; Sodium 1720mg; Total Carbohydrate 44g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 23g); Protein 45g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 50%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 35%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 6 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Some modifications I made to the recipe were that I used small chicken tenderloins instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts. I did not buy the specific Old El Paso brand of salsa and jalapenos. Instead of the canned corn, I bought Green Giant niblets corn in a 10 oz. box, and had to cook that first according to the directions on the box. There was much more than needed, so I served the leftover corn as a side item. Next time I will try the canned corn.

I also cut the ingredients in half based on two servings rather than four. Once I noticed that I couldn't make the roll-ups, I just decided tacos would be a good substitute. I mean, hey, we still gotta eat! So I seasoned my chicken with the called-for chili powder and garlic powder, then baked for about 20 minutes on 400* (or until cooked through). Then I cut my chicken into long strips.

I couldn't bear to let that delicious cream cheese be left out of my new modified recipe, so I spread the chive-and-onion cream cheese onto the taco shell, then added the chicken strips, jalapenos, corn, salsa, honey, and cheese and put back in the oven on 450* for 4 minutes to melt the cheese and heat the taco shells. Then I used the sour cream for dipping. I must say, I am not a huge fan of hard tortillas and tacos in general, but these were pretty good. I guess it's safe to say that I like tacos now :)

Here is the entire meal.... Southwestern Chicken Tacos with corn and Cheese-Garlic Biscuits.