On most days, Joey and I work in the same newspaper office or together from home. Every once in awhile, though, we go our separate ways.
Recently, when we had such a day, Joey shot me a text, “Hey, it’s been a really long day. Do you mind figuring out dinner for tonight?”
Challenge accepted.
We often cook together or take turns making meals, so I was happy to oblige. After a quick trip to the grocery store (and my Pinterest board), I landed on a recipe for spinach stuffed chicken breasts that I had my eye on for awhile.
This comes from the blog “Basil and Butter.” You can find the original post at https://basilandbubbly.com/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breasts/. I added extra garlic and extra seasonings to my version, along with adding filling ingredients.
Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 12 ounces chopped frozen spinach
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Prepare the spinach according to the package directions and squeeze out as much moisture as you can from it.
- Add it to a mixing bowl, along with the feta, cream cheese, garlic, onion powder, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Set it aside.
- Carefully cut a pocket into each chicken breast. To do so, place each breast flat side down on a cutting board, and press it down with a large spoon or spatula while you cut a slit lengthwise into the side, making sure not to cut all the way through to the other side. (Think pita pocket.)
- Stuff each breast with as much of the filling as you can (if you have some left over, add it to a small, oven-safe bowl to make some fabulous cheese dip). Season each breast with salt and pepper.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Once it’s hot, add the stuffed chicken breasts and cook for five minutes on one side. Flip them over, and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, checking the internal temperature of the breasts after the first 10 minutes. Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven and serve. (If you made a side of the extra filling, just bake it until it’s hot all the way through and slightly browned on top.)
This was decadent and delicious. I will suggest that if you have a smaller chicken breast in the pan that comes up to temp before the others that you remove it from the oven so it doesn’t overcook and get dry.
Also, honestly, if you want an appetizer or something vegetarian, skip the chicken altogether, throw the entirety of that filling into a glass dish to bake, and serve it with some chips or crusty bread. It was absolutely delicious, and it reheated well as leftovers, too.
I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have a partner who is an excellent cook and has no problem shouldering the kitchen load with me. Hopefully, some tasty meals like this one let him know just how thankful for him I am.
This piece first appeared in print on May 2, 2024.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.