Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni

You may or may not be familiar with Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni. For me, it's been a dish I've thought a lot about. Why? Some lost family recipe? From my great-grandmother perhaps? Not even close. It's a featured item in the plot of one of my favorite movies, Seems Like Old Times with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, please, enjoy!

I've thought a lot about this menu, and I've always wanted to try making it to see what it was like. So, of course, I googled it. But I was very disappointed when I followed this link to the supposed "recipe" for the movie. I'd like to argue that this is not possibly the dish that was served in the movie for the following reasons:

1. It is prepared in a saute pan. Glenda is clearly wielding a 9x13 baking dish


2. It uses cutlets -- there are visible little mountains of chicken in said baking dish in the movie


3. The recipe listed is more of a casserole, not the dish you would serve the governor, not even if it has artichoke hearts


4. If it was a casserole, then why would there be side dishes on the table, aren't casseroles a one dish meal?

So, since I couldn't find what I was looking for online, I invented it in my kitchen tonight. Here is my version of Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni:

• Chicken Breasts, pounded thin
• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Butter
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Pound the chicken until about 1/4 inch thick. Lay it on the cutting board. Put 3-5 slices of pepperoni on the chicken. Top with mozarella cheese. Roll up, place with the end down so that you get a nice piece of smooth chicken on top. Repeat for desired number of chicken breasts.

Melt butter. Coat chicken with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste.Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a light golden color starts to appear -- or until internal temperature reaches about 150.

Remove the dish from the oven. Top each chicken breast with about 2 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce. Then top lightly with more cheese. Put it back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes, or until the cheese is to the desired crispiness and the chicken internal temperature measures 165 or more.

Serve atop fettucini noodles with extra sauce on the side.