Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Vegetable Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Chicken is truly a versatile meat as there are so many different ways to prepare it. When it comes to stuffing chicken breasts you can create a flavorful delicious entrée with a few ingredients. You can incorporate cheeses, vegetables, fruit, and even other meats into the stuffing that can satisfy, and delight even the pickiest eaters.
Usually when I'm making a family dinner I will cook everyone the same dish. However when using spinach as one of my ingredients, there is one member of the family that is not too keen about it, so I've accommodated him, which you will see in this recipe.
Please Note:
For this recipe I made 2 chicken breasts without the spinach. If you are planning to stuff all five breasts with spinach please add two additional ounces of spinach to the ingredients.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 5 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
- 8 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 6 mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 tsp. of garlic powder
- 1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated fine
- cooking spray
- toothpicks
"I was a really picky eater as a child. Because I was obsessed by Popeye, my mum and aunts would put my food in a can to represent spinach and we'd hum the Popeye tune and then I'd happily eat it."
Instructions for preparing and cooking the stuffed chicken breasts
- An hour prior to starting to prepare the chicken breasts remove frozen spinach from the freezer, and thaw in a colander.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an oven safe baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until bacon begins to render fat. You don't want to overcook the bacon as it will continue to cook once it is in the chicken breast, and cooking in the oven. Remove from the pan, and drain. Set aside.
- Place a chicken breast between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. With the flat side of a meat mallet pound the chicken until flat. If the chicken breast is fairly thick you may want to butterfly it first. Flatten each breast and set aside.
- Press the spinach while it is still in the colander removing as much liquid as possible. Add the spinach to a medium sided bowl.
- Wash and slice the mushrooms and add 3/4's of them to the spinach. Set the remainder aside as these will be used for the breasts without the spinach stuffing.
- Add 1/2 of the cooked bacon to the bowl and set aside the remainder.
- Sprinkle the garlic powder into the spinach and mixing all ingredients together that are in the bowl..
- Take three of the chicken breasts, one at a time, and spoon 1/3 of the spinach mixture into the center of the flattened breast. Fold edges of the breast over and secure with toothpicks. Place each breast into the baking dish.
- With the two remaining chicken breasts add bacon along with the mushrooms to the flattened breast. Fold and secure with toothpicks. Place them into the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the chicken breasts with Parmesan cheese, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and ENJOY!
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