SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
Is anyone else completely freaked out by the monster-sized chicken breasts you seen in the stores these days? Pick up a pack of those guys from the store, and three ( because there’s always three in a pack for some reason ) manage to weigh a pound and a half to two pounds. It’s nuts! Even when I get the fancy $9-per-pound hormone-free cage-free massaged-since-birth ocean-front free-roaming Prius-driving chicken breasts, they are STILL pretty huge. Oh, and still three to a pack.
Which is funny, because every recipe ever written for boneless skinless chicken breasts seems to call for four. I’m fighting back! My Easy, Basic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts recipe calls for three, because I’m not in cahoots with the chicken people, and I know how chicken comes packed. I’m going to do my best to make sure that all of my future chicken recipes ( including this one ) is in a multiple of 3 as well — it just makes things easier for everyone, and is how I tend to really cook.
So here, we have another chicken recipe using the ubiquitous boneless, skinless chicken breast, and it calls for only three pieces of chicken! Usually, half of one of these guys is more than enough to fill me up, particularly when crammed full of delicious, tangy feta and cooked spinach. So don’t let this recipe fool you — three stuffed boneless, skinless chicken breasts is enough to feed six, even though I’ve listed the servings as “3”, as most people would be hesitant to serve a half breast to someone at a dinner party, and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s evening.
SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts stuffed with the tangy flavor of feta and the vegetable goodness of almost a pound of spinach!
Author: Basil and Bubbly
Recipe type: Main Course, Chicken
Cuisine: American
Serves: 3 stuffed chicken breasts
GATHER:
- 3 chicken breasts
- 8 oz chopped frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions and squeezed dry.
- 3 oz feta, crumbled ( about ½ cup )
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 clove garlic, diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
MAKE:
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Mix the chopped frozen spinach, feta, cream cheese, garlic and half of the salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Cut a pocket into each chicken breast. If you are unsure of how to cut a pocket into the chicken without also cutting a pocket into your hand, try this: One at a time, place the chicken flat on a cutting board, and press a large spatula ( or something else that cannot be stabbed, i.e. DO NOT USE YOUR HAND) flat on top of the breast. Make sure that you are pressing the spatula down hard enough to hold the chicken in place. You may need to actually dig the edge of the spatula into the meat just a little bit to accomplish this. Insert the knife ⅔ of the way into the side of the thickest part of the chicken, and slice down to the thinnest part, stopping before you cut through; you want a pocket not a flap.
- Separate the spinach and cheese mixture into three parts, and roll into thick logs. Stuff each log into the pocket you made in the chicken breasts. Season with remaining salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan set over medium high heat, then add the stuffed chicken, "top" side down. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the chicken over.
- Place the pan into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. If your chicken breasts are extraordinarily thick, cook for 2 to 5 minutes longer, or until juices run clear when you poke the chicken with a fork. Source