Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

One afternoon I heard Russell in the kitchen searching for something to eat. After being in there for quite sometime he entered the living room with what he described as a “glorious sandwich.” Hesitantly, I asked what made it such a glorious sandwich. He named off several ingredients, one of which surprised me--spinach! Knowing there was lettuce in the refrigerator, I asked why he had used spinach instead. He said he really liked spinach and preferred it over lettuce most of the time. This was news to me!

As I have stated before, Russell and I are pasta people. Often, during menu planning for the week, I have to consciously limit how many pasta dishes I include. Searching for some new, non-pasta, dishes to try led me to this spinach and feta stuffed chicken recipe. With my newly acquired knowledge of Russell’s fondness for spinach I thought it would be a great dish to try. It is pretty simple to put together and doesn’t take much time to bake, so this would be a great option for a weeknight meal. Russell and I both enjoyed it, and I will definitely be making it again.

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups lightly packed baby spinach, about 4 ounces*
• 1 garlic clove or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound of thinly sliced chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (I used more)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (I used more)
• Additional crumbled feta for topping, optional

*I choose to remove the stems and chop into 1/4 inch ribbons, this is not necessary, just my preference.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook until spinach is tender.

Divide spinach evenly between each chicken breast. Top spinach with feta cheese (I had 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts, so I used a little less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of feta cheese for each chicken breast). Roll up chicken breasts and place seam side down in a shallow baking dish.

Coat chicken with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil; sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and oregano. Top with additional feta cheese if desired.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Adapted from: Recipe card given out by Safeway from Try-Foods International