Pesto chicken spirals with peppers and watercress

Simple and beautiful, these chicken rolls are done in a jiffy and well worth making. Store-bought roasted peppers and pesto make it even easier. Give this recipe a shot when you're aiming to impress.

This quick recipe takes 15 minutes to preapre, 10 to cook, and serves 4. Here's what you'll need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 750 g or 1 1/2 lb)
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) pepper
• 350 g (4 oz) soft goat cheese
• 25 g (1 cup) packed watercress leaves, thick stems removed
• 175 g (3/4 cup) jarred roasted red peppers
• 1 small scallion, finely chopped
• 50 g (1/4 cup) prepared reduced-fat basil pesto

1. Put the chicken breasts one at a time with the smooth side down between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Working from the centre to the edges, pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet or small skillet to an even 0.5-centimetre (1/4-inch) thickness. Remove the paper or plastic.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with the pepper then spread on the goat cheese, leaving a 0.5 centimetre (1/4-inch) border around the edges. Top with the watercress, roasted peppers and scallions. Roll up jelly-roll style from a short side, pushing in the sides as you roll, to enclose the filling. Secure with wooden toothpicks.
3. Brush the pesto over the surface of the chicken. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate the bundles for up to eight hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. When hot, coat with cooking spray and add the chicken bundles. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the filling is hot, 10 to 15 minutes total, turning now and then and covering the pan for the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking.
5. Cool slightly then slice crosswise on a slight diagonal to reveal the filling.

Each serving contains the following:

• 338 Calories
• 13 g Fat (6 g saturated fat)
• 5 g Carbs (1 g fibre)
• 47 g Protein
• 115 mg Cholesterol
• 421 mg Sodium
• 123 mg Calcium

This is one of those wonderful recipes that's incredibly simple to make, but makes you look like a seasoned chef. Whip it up when you want to impress guests with both flavour and presentation.