If you want to wow your family or friends, try this stuffed chicken recipe. The best part is that it is easy and won’t take long in the kitchen. Pair with your favorite whole grain or roasted potato.
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
For the filling/stuffing:
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¾ cup walnut halves, finely chopped, divided
5 ounces frozen spinach thawed and drained (squeeze all the water out of the spinach)
6 sundried tomatoes in olive oil chopped (more for garnish)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley more for garnish
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon oregano
Make the filling. In a mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, chopped walnuts (save ¼ cup walnuts for later), spinach, sundried tomatoes, parsley, garlic and oregano. Add a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Mix until well combined.
Pat the chicken breast dry and season on both sides with Kosher salt and black pepper.
Make a pocket in each chicken breast. Lay a chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Place a hand firmly on top of the breast. Insert a good chef’s knife in the thickest part of the breast and cut through to make a pocket about 3 to 4 inches wide (only cut ¾ of the way in or you will split the chicken breast).
Spoon the stuffing mixture into the pocket of each chicken breast (try to equally divide the stuffing among all four pieces).
In a large cast iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken in and cook on one side for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes or so (the chicken internal temperature should register 165 degrees F).
Remove from heat and allow the chicken 3 to 5 minutes to rest. If you like, slice the chicken up into smaller pieces and garnish with the remaining walnuts, a bit of parsley and sundried tomatoes.
Note: If you leave the stuffed chicken breasts whole, you can serve four people (this is a very generous serving). Or you can slice up the chicken breasts, which shows off the beautiful stuffing and also makes six servings.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 259.3; Carbohydrates: 4.3g; Protein: 24.2g; Saturated Fat: 4.4g; Cholesterol: 66mg; Potassium: 460.3mg; Fiber: 1.9g; Vitamin A: 3162.2IU; Vitamin C:6mg; Calcium: 171.4mg; Iron: 1.5mg
Printable recipe available at: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breast
