Chickeny-goodness

I am trying some chicken recipes. I am considering entering this one in a contest. It was inspired by an appetizer I ordered in a restaurant last weekend. It was asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. The appetizer wasn't so hot (the asparagus was totally dried out, definitely needed some olive oil.) I made this for my husband and another couple. As you can see from the picture, I tried putting the prosciutto inside and outside the chicken. The consensus was that it is better outside. I think I will also try to use more cheese next time, or maybe even grate a little on top to brown!!

Asparagus Chicken Roll-ups

1/4 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
8 pieces chicken breast tenders (about a pound)
1 bunch asparagus
6 oz. Fontina cheese, cut into 4 pieces
8 slices prosciutto

In a large plastic zip baggie, lay each chicken tender flat. With a small heavy pan, pound the chicken tenders until they are thin. Pour the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, oregano, basil, salt and pepper into the bag with the chicken. Close and shake to mix. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
Cover a baking sheet in foil. Lay the eight pieces of prosciutto on the sheet. Place a chicken piece on top of the prosciutto. Then put the fontina and three pieces of asparagus on top. Then roll the chicken and prosciutto around cheese and asparagus, and secure with a toothpick. Drizzle some olive oil over the roll-ups, especially the asparagus ends sticking out of the roll-ups. (I used a pastry brush to really make sure the asparagus was coated in oil.)
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

I also served crostini with a olive tapenade-type dish. I found citrus-stuffed green olives at Giant (made by the Simply Enjoy brand). I chopped these up then added:
a squeeze of lemon juice
a little lemon zest
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
lots of fresh ground pepper

It was pretty tasty. The citrus olives had a lot to do with that, they had a lot of flavor. My husband also enjoyed them in his martini!!