Chicken Roll Ups are filled with savory smoked mozzarella and bacon, then topped with tomato sauce and even more cheese! These roll ups are an easy to-make family-friendly dinner. They are a great low carb meal for those following a keto diet and are naturally gluten free as well.
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Initially I intended to make this a stuffed chicken recipe, but when shopping I decided that, logistically, chicken roll ups make more sense. Both are easy, I guess, but roll ups are more fun!
The idea to use smoked mozzarella all started with this smoked mozzarella pasta salad that Whole Foods used to carry (maybe they still do?) in the fresh foods section. I always wanted to try to replicate that salad.
Since I’ve cut carbs, pasta salad is pretty much out of the question. So, I decided to roll smoked mozzarella and bacon up inside of chicken and cover it in tomato sauce (Rao’s brand is what I used and lower in sugar, albeit a little pricey).
I serve these roll ups with spaghetti squash. So, it’s still kind of a pasta dish.
Why This Recipe Works
- These Chicken Roll Ups are a great choice for those following a low carb, keto, or gluten free diet.
- They are really easy to make, yet kind of impressive, if I do say so myself. From start to finish, this recipe is done is about 45 minutes.
- You can serve this recipe with (or over) a variety of sides. If you’re low carb or gluten free try them over spaghetti squash. Or, if you don’t have any dietary restrictions (you lucky dog), try them over pasta or rice for a complete meal.
How to Make Chicken Roll Ups with Smoked Mozzarella and Bacon
Prep!
If you’re using regular size chicken breasts, cut them in half and pound them out. I bought thin cut chicken breasts, but they ended up needing more trimming and pounding out to get them even.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Create!
Divide half of the mozzarella and all of the bacon between the chicken breasts.
Roll each chicken breast up and place it in the casserole dish, seam side down.
You can obviously see which chicken breast needed a little work to get it flat – haha!
Season with the salt and pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink.
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and top the chicken with the marinara sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake an additional 3-5 minutes to heat the sauce and melt the cheese.
Present!
Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil, if desired.
Serve with spaghetti squash to keep it low carb and gluten free, or regular pasta or rice.
Tips and Techniques for the Best Chicken Roll Ups
- You can buy thin cut chicken breasts, but you may have better luck buying full chicken breasts, cutting them in half and pounding them out flat.
- If you can’t find smoked mozzarella cheese, you can use regular mozzarella. I recommend the fresh mozzarella. Bagged, pre-shredded mozzarella is not the best as far as melting and texture due the additives in it.
- Store leftover roll ups in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
FAQ’s
- Can you freeze chicken roll ups? Yes. You can freeze chicken roll ups, tightly wrapped, for up to 2-3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before baking or reheating.
More Low Carb Chicken Recipes to Try
If you like low carb cheesy chicken dished, this Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken recipe and this Ranch Bacon Chicken Casserole recipe will definitely satisfy those cravings.
Looking for something lighter? Try this Skillet Creamy Lemon Chicken with Cauliflower or the very popular Easy Garlic Chicken with a side of low carb veggies.
Love this Chicken Roll Ups recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
Chicken Rolls Ups with Smoked Mozzarella & Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter * melted
- 1 pound thin cut chicken breasts
- 4 slices bacon * cooked and crumbled
- 8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese * shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup marinara sauce * I use Rao's
- fresh basil * cut into ribbons, optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Coat the bottom of a medium casserole dish with the melted butter.
- Pound the chicken breast flat, if needed.
- Divide half of the mozzarella and all of the bacon between the chicken breasts.
- Roll each chicken breast up and place it in the casserole dish, seam side down.
- Season with the salt and pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and top the chicken with the marinara sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake an additional 3-5 minutes to heat the sauce and melt the cheese.
- Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Tips and Techniques for the Best Chicken Roll Ups
- You can buy thin cut chicken breasts, but you may have better luck buying full chicken breasts, cutting them in half and pounding them out flat.
- If you can’t find smoked mozzarella cheese, you can use regular mozzarella. I recommend the fresh mozzarella. Bagged, pre-shredded mozzarella is not the best as far as melting and texture due the additives in it.
- I use Rao's Marinara Sauce to keep this dish low carb and low sugar.
- Store leftover roll ups in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
Catriona says
Would these work as. Cold snack in a lunchbox do we feel?
Lauren Vavala Harris says
Hi Catriona, you could eat them cold. You just need to keep them chilled until ready to eat since it’s chicken and will go bad if not kept cold or reheated properly.
– Lauren
Nicole says
2 different temperatures are listed. In the blog part it says 350. In the recipe section it says 450. What’s the correct cooking temperature?
Lauren Vavala says
Oh goodness! Thanks for letting me know. The correct temperature is 350. I’m off to fix that now. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!!
Kari Hermann says
My husband is thanking you for his new favorite dinner. We love chicken cordon bleu and we love pizza.. this is the best of both put together!
Lauren Vavala says
Awesome – thank you!
Veena Azmanov says
This looks super delicious and creamy and cheesy too. Love the combination of Bacon and cheese.
Helen says
I love how quick this is. Great recipe – thanks!
Liz says
This is perfect! We’ve been looking for easy recipes that our 8 year old will like!
Dannii says
Anything with cheese and bacon sounds good to me. This looks delicious.