i’ve done two versions of stuffed chicken over the last few months and both versions have turned out awesome. this version comes from a pinch of yum, and as always, modified by me, because that’s just what i do. i can’t tell you the last time i followed a recipe to a tee. oops. (oh, and uh, you’ll get that other version too… probably next week!)
anyway, this is a heavenly, gooey, cheesy mess and as lindsay says, you will be covered in chicken mess by the end of it but it was so worth it.
what you need:
chicken breasts, one per person
one cup panko bread crumbs
four egg whites
six tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
five ounces fresh baby spinach
three roasted red peppers
one clove minced garlic, or one teaspoon jarred garlic
olive oil for sauteing
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
three ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
one cup marinara sauce
fresh basil for topping
what you do:
oh man. first of all, i did not know until i made this dish that you can hammer chicken to make it flatter. i had no idea. so first things first: smash the chicken breasts into thin patties and set aside. i put them between two pieces of parchment paper and hammered away until they were thin enough to roll. set aside your panko bread crumbs and two tablespoons of parmesan cheese in one bowl and in a second bowl, get the egg whites ready (whisk just a little.) lastly, set your baking dish just to the side within easy reach. pour some of your olive oil into it and swirl around. trust me on this – once you start messing with the chicken, you will not want to open any cabinets to get what you have forgotten! preheat the oven to 450.
now it’s time to prepare the filling. chop the spinach and roasted red peppers, and saute with the garlic and olive oil for just a minute or two. in another bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, spinach and peppers. this is your filling.
begin to fill the chicken. this is where it gets messssssy. i dolloped a little filling into each chicken breast and then rolled. keeping a tight hold on the rolled chicken, dunk it into the egg whites and then into the panko crumbs. set into the baking dish and repeat until all pieces are filled. i had some leftover filling, so i actually tossed that on top of the chicken and spread the bread crumbs on top of that so it was a crispy, cheesy topping.
bake for 25 minutes, or until crispy. we checked ours several times and ended up baking it for more like 35 minutes.
when it looks almost done, pour the marinara sauce over top and lay the mozzarella on top of that. bake for another five to ten minutes or until melty. when it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the basil on top and take an instagram.
wine pairing:
something bold: a pinot grigio from italy, or a sangiovese. even a chianti would be nice. you definitely don’t want this dish to overpower your wine – you want it to complement it.
you might also like:
tastebuds: homemade pesto mac n cheese
tastebuds: seared tuna and artichoke pasta
tastebuds: tzatziki sauce with falafel