Just before going into the oven!
Last weekend we had a cousin over for dinner and as usual I was too prepped up for an experiment. I know I shouldn’t be doing that to avoid all the stress but stuffed chicken breasts are something that I had always admired though I still had to give it a shot myself at home. This I did by the side of Hyderabadi vegetable biryani which was the main meal and which was inspired by the ever so affectionate lady who worked at my nani’s / grandmother’s house in Hyderabad. It seemed ideal too since there wasn’t much that needed to be done except for practicing a little art of creating a pocket in the breast or pounding them. To be honest, I watched some videos on you tube on how that could be done and was super confident I’d nail it. I did too, however at the second attempt. I cut through on the first chicken breast and that eventually fell apart; but on the second one, creating a pocket wasn’t that challenging. What I want to try next is pounding the breast and then rolling it which is also very amusing. More on that later..
While most prefer legs, thighs and wings of the bird are amongst the finest parts, I bet we also eat a lot of boneless chicken breast on several occasions. All we need to sporadically do is jazz and dress them a little to make it a party meal or for easy dinner. Plain straight it is also a great use to leftovers once the technique of pounding or creating a pocket is mastered.
So, here’s presenting an amazing yet uncomplicated stuffed chicken breasts with gooey melting cheese and spinach. I kept the stuffing really simple but you can do any different variants that you fancy like including fresh herbs, seasonings, baby potatoes, sun dried tomatoes, sauteed vegetables and different spice combinations. And do you know this recipe also works as a one-pot quick dish? So while you have all the rushing to do or are too overworked after a long day, this will do wonders for you. A good stuffed chicken breast is all you need to fill you up and that itself makes a meal without having to cook something by the side.
I hope you enjoy this delectable meal that can be ready in matter of minutes. I’d say you should definitely go for it!
Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cheese and Spinach.
Ingredients -
- Boneless Chicken Breasts – 2, skin removed.
- Spinach – 1 cup packed, washed and stems removed.
- Kraft Cream Cheese (or any) – 1/4 cup
- Garlic – 3 cloves, minced
- Red pepper flakes – 1/2 tsp
- Paprika powder – 1/2 tsp
- Salt to taste (be careful while adding since cheese contain salt)
- Bread Crumbs – 1/2 cup
- Egg – 1, beaten
- Olive oil – 1/2 tsp
Method -
Chop spinach leaves and saute in olive oil for a minute or two in a non stick pan over medium-low heat. In a bowl mix together cheese, sauteed spinach, salt, paprika, chilli flakes and garlic. Keep aside. Pre heat oven to 180 Degrees Celcius and line the baking pan with parchment paper. Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Place the breast on the flat surface and carefully create a pocket with a sharp knife cutting through the top of the chicken and going deep inside without puncturing through. You can follow the guidelines here. Spoon the filling inside as far as you can go and secure the opening part with a toothpick. Place beaten eggs in a shallow dish and bread crumbs separately in another. Dip each chicken breast in the eggs first and then in the bread crumbs, making sure the chicken is well coated. Heat some olive oil in a pan and toast the chicken for 2-4 minutes from both the sides till it turns in a beautiful golden brown color (like the first pic in this post). Place the chicken breasts on the parchment paper and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes till the chicken is fully cooked. Transfer to the serving platter and squeeze half a lime. Slice and serve.
