Tonight’s dinner was probably one of the best I’ve made in MONTHS. Actually, it’s probably one of the few “real” dinners (aka, not a sandwich) that I’ve made in quite a while…and it was soooo worth it! :mrgreen:
I found this recipe on myrecipes.com last night, which actually originally came from Cooking Light(!) but I made a few changes to make it “Courtney-fied” ;) The measurements of ingredients you’ll see below are for two servings, but if you’d like to see the recipe for four, click here.
Ricotta, Spinach, & Sun-Dried Tomato-Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cups boiling water
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach (I didn’t measure, just eyeballed it)
- heaping 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
- 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Preparation
(**Before preparing tonight’s meal, I marinated the chicken in some of my favorite dressing: Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. I let is sit for about 4 hours, so the flavor was phenomenal.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and chop.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, oregano, and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Place spinach mixture in a bowl; cool 5 minutes. Stir in cheeses, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Slice each breast half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves, laying breast flat. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Divide spinach mixture into 2 equal portions; spoon each down center of each breast half, leaving a 1/2-inch border at each end. Fold breast sides over filling.
Place in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and top with an extra sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and fresh basil, if desired. ENJOY! :-D
Along with my chicken, I had some roasted cauliflower, which I tossed in a little EVOO, salt, & garlic powder.
This was one heck of a dinner!! And it was so nice to actually have a “special” meal with the hubby tonight. :)
I’m totally STUFFED now, and have to quickly head out the door for a softball game…sheesh! ;)
SO GLAD tomorrow is Friday!!!
Does anyone have any good plans coming up for the weekend??
I’m actually pretty free for once…YAY! :-D
Heather says
I’m going to a bachelorette party and maybe (HOPEFULLY) having a new nephew born this weekend!! Yay :)
Liza says
I’m going to a bachelorette party too!! And enjoying some quiet time; 4 out of my 5 roommates are out of town this weekend!
Meg says
Holy cow that looks amazing! Happy Friday!! Enjoy your weekend and softball game with a full & happy tummy ;)
Leslie says
I’m GRADUATING!
You look like you are a great cook!
Courtney says
Congratulations on graduating!!! :)
Holly at Greek Yogurt and Apple Slices says
MAKING THIS RECIPE!!!! Looks so good- my mouth is watering. It will definitely be included in my meals this upcoming week :D thanks for sharing.