Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts
These spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken breasts are golden brown, juicy, and have a delicious cheese center. Serve them with some simple tomato sauce for a simple healthy meal in under 30 minutes.
Equipment
- oven
- Stove
Ingredients
- 4 breasts chicken
- 0.5 cup ricotta
- 0.25 cup mozzarella
- 0.25 cup parmesan, grated or shredded
- 0.5 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and spinach in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Butterfly chicken breast. Stuff them with the ricotta cheese mixture. Season top and bottom of chicken breast well with salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 400 deg. Heat canola oil in saute/fry pan on stove. Place chicken breast in hot oil. Cook on each side until golden brown, about three to five minutes per side. Put chicken breasts on an oven safe tray, cover with foil, and bake in oven for about 15 minutes, until just cooked through. The internal temperature should be 160 deg or higher; if not, continue baking in oven. When chicken is done, take out of oven and let rest loosely covered for ten minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken will continue to rise.
- While chicken is in the oven, heat up your homemade tomato sauce for serving. You can use the recipe given above for the chunky marinara sauce. Sweat some onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add some fresh basil and simmer for another five minutes. Season with salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired.
- Serve the ricotta stuffed chicken with tomato sauce. Add additional parmesan and/or freshly chopped basil if desired.