Feta Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

So you want to eat a little healthier? You want to eat more greens. But you want something good on the plate, something to tickle the taste buds. Give everyone a reason to come to the table. Well, this particular offering is reason enough, it’s delicious and healthy too. So here we have feta spinach stuffed chicken breast

The heart of this dish is the stuffing for the chicken breasts. Fresh spinach much better than frozen, but if it’s all you have it can be a substitute. I just wilt it in a hot pan. I love the taste of feta, I double stuff potatoes with it. If you’re not too keen on it, you can use goat cheese. The mozzarella will melt and crisp up nicely. I love the flavor of garlic and the ground red pepper flakes add some warmth

The prep

So with the breast flat on a chopping board, lay your hand flat on top. This holds the breast steady while you cut, and keeps your fingers out of the way. Cut a slit lengthwise down the thickest part of the breast, leaving about an inch at each end. If you open up the cut, you’ll see show much deeper you can go. You need to make the pocket as big as possible. Bigger pocket more stuffing. Also, extend inside of the pocket towards the ends of the breast. There, you should be done, if you made a little hole, don’t worry, we’re gonna tie the breast. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Set aside to absorb some flavor

Now we’re done playing with the chicken for a bit. Let me take the opportunity to discuss food prep safety. Washing all utensils after handling raw meat is very important.

Heat some oil in a pan, when it’s hot, add the spinach, stirring to wilt. When done, remove from pan and put in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. This may take a little work, the cream cheese is a bit thick. There is a hack I for that, leave the cream cheese on the counter a bit to soften. Now the stuffing is ready, time to stuff the chicken breasts.

On to stuffing

Using a teaspoon fill the pockets with as much stuffing as possible, you can press it in there a bit. If there is a hole, just cradle the breast in your hand to keep everything in. Using kitchen string, tie string around the breast in 3 places to hold it together. Place in an oven safe container lined with parchment paper, in a 350 degree preheated oven. Allow 40 mins to cook, check temp, 165 degrees when done.

This filling is nice and creamy, so, I don’t make a sauce to go with it, just serve over pasta with a side of your choice. As with all my recipes, you cooked it for your family, feel free to serve as you like. Butter sauce, cheese sauce, tomato sauce, pasta, rice, the options are endless. Please enjoy this Feta spinach stuffed chicken breast and thank you for cooking it