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by Judith Hannemann
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Super-moist chicken breasts stuffed with a garlicky spinach and mozzarella filling. Easy and yummy!
I guess everyone knows by now how much I love chicken and there’s nothing I love better than a tasty stuffed chicken breast. The only bad thing about that is it’s often difficult to do and worse yet, the filling always leaks out.
Well, I have to tell you I found another fantastic, yet easy way to accomplish this! You cut the chicken breast like Hasselback potatoes! I found it on Pinterest and thought the original recipe from Cook It Fitcould be tailored to my personal tastes.
First I LOVE how she stuffed it and the basic ingredients, but I for my taste, the seasonings needed more oomph. Plus, I used my new-found way to keep chicken moist and keep breadings in place–mayonnaise. Yep, mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is mostly oil so it replaces any melted butter or olive oil you’d drizzle over the chicken. The big-time benefit is that mayonnaise stays in place (at least for a while before it melts).
So what I did to add some of the flavors I like so I added garlic. Basically, I made my Asian spinachrecipe and added the cheese to that.
Then I made cross cuts on the top of the breast almost all the way through–I did this about every inch or so–if you’ve seen Hasselback potatoes, the cuts are made like that but much wider apart . Then stuffed the filling into the cuts and smeared some mayo over the breasts.
The finishing touch was seasoned bread crumbs to which I added extra cheese. In this case, a tasty Romano. But you could also use Parmesan or even Asiago if you wanted.
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Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken
Super-moist chicken breasts stuffed with a garlicky spinach and mozzarella filling. Easy and yummy!
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time50 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals
Cuisine: American
Keyword: mozzarella, spinach, stuffed chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 490kcal
Author: Judith Hannemann
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup flavored bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
FILLING
- 5-6 oz bag/box baby spinach
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup shredded or diced mozzarella see NOTES
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Mix the bread crumbs and grated cheese in a small bowl; set aside.
Make 3-4 deep cuts across the top of each chicken breast about 1-1.5-inches apart (mine were large breasts and I got 3 cuts spaced 1.5-inches apart). Set aside while making the filling
For filling--heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and spinach and stir constantly until spinach is completely wilted--about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the mozzarella. Stir until cheese starts to melt.
Divide filling evenly among the 4 breast pieces.
Coat each chicken breast with about 1 tbs of mayonnaise.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Divide bread crumb mixture between the 4 chicken breasts. Return to oven and bake an additional 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done (175 degrees F on a meat thermometer or until juices run clear)
Notes
I used small cubes (1/4-inch cubes) of mozzarella that I cut myself. This melts so much better than the pre-shredded variety which has cornstarch and other additives to prevent it sticking together--I find that inhibits melting to some degree.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 909mg | Potassium: 655mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3584IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @midnitebaker or tag #midnitebaker!
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Comments
Angela says
I’ve made many “Stuffed Chicken Breasts” , but never “Hasselback” style. They’re new to me, so I’ll give them a try. I plan to mix seasoned bread crumbs w/panko (half & half) because we like our chicken ‘crunchy’. I definitely agree with you about the Mozzarella. I always use the ‘real thing’…. not the kind which comes in a plastic bag, nor the sliced Mozzarella from the Deli Dept.at our local supermarket. The final product will only be as good as the ingredients which we use to make it, so don’t skimp!
Judith Hanneman says
I thought that method was really easy to do–and a lot less frustrating–and the stuffing pretty much stayed in place.
Liz says
This chicken sounds delicious Judith. Thank you and have a Great Sunday!
Judith Hanneman says
This is truly delish. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday too Liz.
