This juicy baked chicken is stuffed with Baby Spinach, Cheese & infused with aromatic flavors....need I say more!
Ingredients:
For the Chicken Fillets
3 to 4 large chicken breasts - boneless & skinless - try getting equal sizes so they cook evenly.
¾ teaspoon salt - or as per taste
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika powder
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
For the stuffing (filling)
2½ tablespoons cold cream cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves - grated
¼ teaspoon salt - or as per taste
¼ cup mozzarella cheese - shredded
¼ cup parmesan cheese - shredded
1½ cup baby spinach leaves - washed, dried and finely cut
Instructions:
We start by preheating the oven to 220 degrees C. In a bowl, mash together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and garlic. Now add in the mozzarella and parmesan cheese along with the chopped spinach and mix everything well. (Important - make sure that the spinach is dry as having water in spinach will result in a runny and loose filling - which we do not want).
Put the chicken on a cutting board and using a sharp knife cut a slit about ¾th of the way through from the side (do not cut all the way - once cut it should resemble an open book). Season the outside of the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and rub them well on both the outer sides of the chicken pieces. Place the cheese mixture (about ¼ of the cheese mixture) on one side of the open chicken fillet as shown in the pic below. Now close and seal the fillets using toothpicks. Tip - even if you cut the chicken breast all the way through by mistake, no need to worry as you could seal that side of the chicken as well with toothpicks.
Heat about 2 to 3 tablespoon of olive oil and place the chicken fillets in it - we need to sear each side of the chicken fillet to lock in the juices before putting the chicken in the oven. Sauté the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side.
If using a caste iron skillet to sear the chicken, place the entire skillet in the oven and if using a regular pan to sear the chicken, place the chicken pieces in your baking dish and pour all the juices in your pan over the chicken pieces and bake the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes. To bake the chicken just right you should insert a food thermometer in the chunkiest part of the chicken and the temperature should read 165 degrees F.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and pour all pan juices over the chicken when serving. Very Important - please remember to remove all the toothpicks before slicing or serving the chicken. Enjoy this delicious dish!
If you liked this recipe kindly click on the little red heart icon on the bottom right side of this recipe and share the same with your family and friends!
Comments