Spinach Stuffed Chicken

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My mom came by to hang out with the boys so of course I pressed her into service! She makes the very best recipes out of thin air, throwing things together with instinct and experience guiding her hand. The only challenge was making her measure things out so I could write this recipe down! She started off by making a roux with butter and flour, then added cream and vegetable stock to thin it out.

A Few Tips and Pointers

• A liberal dash of paprika made such a difference, it added a beautiful smokey quality to the whole sauce while the gouda brings a lot of creaminess and body.
• If you want to make a vegetarian version, just serve the amazing sauce with some pasta!
• Pat the breast dry before searing them for best results.
• This recipe is easily doubled for more portions!
• You can make the sauce a day ahead and assemble and bake with more ease the day of.

How do you butterfly a chicken breast?

To butterfly a chicken breast place it on a clean surface and press down with one hand. Use the other hand to slice through the breast until you knife is almost through to the other side. Not the breast can be stuffed and baked. When I do this I like to remove the tender, and pound the breast after cutting it.

Steps to Make Spinach stuffed chicken

1. Start by making a roux. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons to flour and whisk over medium heat for about a minute.
2. Whisk in the cream and stock. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Mix in the cheese until it is melted. 
4. Put 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pan and melt over medium high heat then add the finely diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add garlic, mushrooms and thyme and cook until garlic is softened, making sure to stir so nothing burns. Add in spinach and stir until all is wilted. Remove from heat, add cheeses and pour in about half of the sauce. Stir everything together to distribute the ingredients and melt the cheese. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Slice the chicken breast into a thin strip so it can be stuffed. Pound the breast to tenderize and thin. 
6. Add filling to the breast and fold to enclose. (You should have a good amount of sauce left over for later) You can seal the breast using toothpicks so it holds together in the next step but they’re optional. You can also season the outside with salt and pepper. 
7. Add the oil to a pan and heat over high heat. Add the breasts and sear for a 1-2 minutes on each side. 
8. Transfer breasts to a baking dish and spoon over some of the remaining sauce on top of each breast. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Increase temperature to broil and bake 4 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
9. I recommend serving with rice or pasta mixed with the remaining filling and sauce. If you’re curious I paired this with asparagus spears and was quite content. Hope you enjoy!

If you’ve tried this spinach stuffed chicken then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Tender chicken breast stuffed with a creamy, cheesy mushroom spinach sauce.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 280 kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 4 tbsp butter divided 56g
• 4 tbsp olive oil 60mL
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 17g
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 120ml
• 3/4 cup vegetable stock 180ml
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt 6g
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper 1g
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 5mL
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms 75g
• 2 cups fresh spinach 60g
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme minced 1g
• 1 cup gouda 108g, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan 50g, grated

Instructions

For the Sauce

1. Start by making a roux. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk over medium heat for about a minute. Whisk in the cream and chicken stock. Add salt, pepper, paprika, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pan and melt over medium high heat. Add the finely diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add garlic, mushrooms and thyme and cook until everything is softened, making sure to stir so nothing burns. Add in spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat, add gouda. Stir everything together to distribute the ingredients and melt the cheese. Set aside.

For the Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Slice the chicken breast into a thin strip so it can be stuffed. Pound the breast until tender and thin. Add filling to the breast and fold to enclose. (You should have a good amount of sauce left over for later) You can seal the breast using toothpicks so it holds together in the next step but they’re optional. You can also season the outside with salt and pepper.

3. Add the butter or oil to a pan over high heat. Add the breasts and sear for a 2-3 minutes on each side. 

4. Transfer breasts to a baking dish and spoon some of the sauce on top of each breast.

5. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Increase temperature to broil and bake 4 minutes longer. Remove from oven.

6. I recommend serving with rice or pasta mixed with the remaining filling and sauce. If you’re curious I paired this with asparagus spears and was quite content. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

If you want to make a vegetarian version, just serve the amazing sauce with some pasta!

Nutrition Facts

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 breasts)

Calories 280 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18g 28%

Saturated Fat 5.4g 27%

Monounsaturated Fat 1.7g

Cholesterol 67mg 22%

Sodium 950mg 40%

Potassium 404mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates 6.5g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1.7g 7%

Sugars 1.4g

Protein 26.3g 53%

Vitamin A 93%

Vitamin C 18%

Calcium 17.4%

Iron 8.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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