Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Feta

A new Spanish-inspired twist on chicken!  This one is guaranteed to make your mouth water, featuring fresh spinach, feta cheese, goat cheese, and pine nuts.  Serves 4 - 6.  

Feta & Spinach stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients

5 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. olive oil

2 cups DOLE fresh spinach, finely chopped

¼ tsp. white pepper

¼ tsp. garlic powder

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbl. butter

4 tbl. pine nuts

Mojo marinade

2/3 cup olive oil

2 cups flour

2 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly whisked

Parmesan cheese

Roasted Red Peppers

Directions

·         Allow Feta and Goat cheese to come to room temperature, then mix them both together, mashing well with a fork

·         Add the olive oil to the cheese and mix well until fairly smooth

·         Add the spinach to the cheese mixture and mix until well blended

·         In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat, then add the pine nuts

·         Cook pine nuts in butter until lightly browned (about 2-3 minutes), stirring often, then remove from heat.  Allow to cool several minutes.

·         Add the pine nuts (along with the butter) and white pepper into the cheese mixture and gently mix it all together

·         Cut a “pocket” in each chicken breast for stuffing (see photo below)

Cutting the pocket in the chicken breasts for stuffing

·         Stuff ¼ of the cheese/spinach filling into each chicken breast, pressing into the pocket well

·         Seal the edges of the chicken pocket (fold bottom over top) and secure with toothpicks

·         Brush all sides of the stuffed chicken breasts with Spanish Mojo marinade sauce

·         Refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking

·         Dredge each chicken breast in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs, coating all sides well

·         Place back on a backing dish and refrigerate again for about 30 minutes

·         In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat

·         Add the chicken breasts and fry in the oil for 7-8 minutes per side (until browned), occasionally lifting with a fork to allow oil to get under the breasts.  After frying, place back in the baking dish.

·         Heat oven to 325°

·         Bake for about 45 minutes and remove from oven

·         Top with Parmesan cheese and roasted red peppers, return to oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese begins to melt and peppers are slightly browned

Fresh out of the oven, topped with Paremesan cheese and roasted red peppers