One thing I love about meals like this is you can make it in so many different varieties. You can change the stuffing to switch it up; in this recipe we went with mozzarella, shallots, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach as the main ingredients and they have such a good balance of flavors that tie together so perfect. The sides you can serve it with are so versatile as well; a few of our favorites to serve these juicy savory stuffed chicken breasts with are roasted potatoes, jasmine rice, salad, and in this particular batch, Fettuccine Alfredo which is by far my favorite but definitely more of a cheat meal (; You can also get my quick and easy Fettuccine Alfredo recipe (here)
Recipe:
Oil for pan
3-4 chicken breasts (cut in half vertically)
10 oz bag frozen spinach (thawed and strained well)
1 big (or 2 small) shallots diced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups mozzarella (or fontina) shredded
1 teaspoon each of the following (or more to taste) – garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt & pepper, & optional slap ya mama’s seasoning for some added spice (can also use cayenne pepper)
Optional parsley flakes for garnish
Directions:
- First strain as much of the liquid from your thawed bag of frozen spinach as you can, then grab a mixing bowl and add in the spinach with the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, & the cheese, stir everything to combine and set aside.
- Next, cut your chicken breasts in half vertically (you should be left with 6-8 thick halves of chicken, not long skinny pieces). Once you have your 6-8 pieces, cut a slit from the fattest side of each piece of chicken and going in to make a pocket, leaving about a half inch all around the whole edge, the hole should be big enough to fit about 2-3 Tablespoons of the stuffing you made.
- Once you have your chicken pockets all ready to stuff, pat each piece dry with a paper towel to ensure that all of the excess liquid is removed, place the dried pieces all together in a bowl, and toss with the seasoning mixture created previously, until the seasoning is coating each piece of chicken well.
- Now, grab your seasoned chicken breasts, and the stuffing mixture you created, and stuff each chicken breast with 2-3 Tablespoons of the mixture, repeat until all of the pieces are stuffed. If there is any remaining stuffing left, just keep packing it into each breast as much as you can fit.
- Heat a couple tablespoons of your preferred oil type in a pan on medium high heat. Once hot, add in the stuffed chicken breasts (I try to only cook 3-4 pieces at a time, and cook them in 2 batches, so they aren’t crowded in the pan).
- Once they are in the pan, place lid on top and cook for about 10 minutes (or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 F.) Flipping half way through for about 5 minutes of cook time on each side.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with your favorite side. We usually either serve them on top of fettuccine Alfredo or also with roasted potatoes or root vegetables. These savory chicken breasts also save and reheat so easily for a delicious meal prep that you can switch up how you serve throughout the week.
- Enjoy!
Notes:
Can also opt for baking instead of pan frying; just preheat the oven to 375 F, line a cookie sheet with foil, spray with oil and place each stuffed chicken breast piece in a single layer with some space in between- and cook for 20-25 minutes or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.
bitesbyaly.com 