One of my favorite proteins that’s so versatile is chicken. With that being said, I will share one of my favorite chicken recipes every Thursday with you all! Chicken is one of the most popular proteins eaten. It’s great because it’s high in protein and lower in fat depending on the cut of chicken you are using.
When I was in culinary school the instructor always commented about how most people felt chicken was one of the hardest proteins to prepare. I know those awesome cooks out there are probably laughing at the comment, I definitely did too. The reasoning why is that chicken can be very hard to cook perfectly. Most of the times people either overcook the chicken and it’s dry or under cooked the chicken and it’s pink. It can be difficult to cook to perfection where it’s white but still glistening and tender and moist all at the same time. It’s really trial and error, the more you cook chicken the better you’ll get at making it perfect.
Each week I’ll post one of my favorite chicken recipes I’ve made over the years. Some will be simple while others are a little more complex but all will be delicious! 🙂 Today we’ll start with my first one, Stuffed Spinach and Artichoke chicken breast. I know that making a stuffed chicken breast can sometimes be intimidating. It takes a few more steps and more patience than I was use to giving years ago. I’ve since made stuffed chicken often and it’s gotten easier. This recipe is pretty standard and not too difficult. Why not give it a try! Feel free to send me an email or comment with questions.
Spinach And Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Rolls
Ingredients:
6 thin chicken breasts
1 package frozen spinach- (thawed, excess liquid drained) or 1 1/2 fresh, cooked
10-12 artichoke hearts, chopped
4 cheese spread wedges (Garlic and Herb lite) or 4T of cream cheese
4T Romano cheese, grated
3T panko breadcrumbs ( I used Italian seasoned)
1/2T garlic powder
1/2T onion powder
Pinch: Salt and Pepper
Directions: Make sure you squeeze out any extra liquid from the spinach, you can do this with a towel or a paper towel. Add spinach, chopped artichokes, cheese spread wedges, Romano cheese, garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper. Mix until creamy. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°. Take chicken breasts and pound out until thin. You will want them to be pliable. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the spinach mixture over the chicken. Leave some room along the edges of the chicken, this will make it easier to roll. Roll the chicken breasts up and added seam side up to baking dish. Sprinkle finished chicken rolls with the panko breadcrumbs.
Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes until no longer pink. This is why I have the chicken seam side up to be able to check easier if the chicken is done. (Note: Cooking times will vary based on thickness and oven temps)
Note: You can substitute the cheese wedges for regular cream cheese. You can also use other white cheeses like feta, mozzarella, Swiss, etc. This will not give the mixture as creamy of a texture but will still come out fine. You can also use fresh spinach. The first time I ever made this I only had frozen spinach and I wanted to make right away, so I settled for that. You can also omit the breadcrumb if you prefer, I just like the crunch texture.
Enjoy!
