Chicken Breast Stuffed with Feta and Spinach

When John and I visit Fort Wayne, we like to cook something complicated. Something...


























unusual. We decided that stuffed chicken would be the way to go. Unfortunately, this didn't photograph as well as I would have liked. The picture doesn't do it justice, and I kind of lost my train of thought with the side items (potatoes...and rice. one or the other would have been better).

Still, these weren't too hard to assemble, and they were a real success! My mom took a few bites and said that if she'd ordered this in a restaurant, she would have been really pleased. We used toothpicks, instead of string, to keep them together. They seemed at first like they would fall apart while I was browning them in the pan, but toothpicks didn't make them hard to turn. Also, a single chicken breast can be cut into two servings, which is perfect for people who want a smaller portion, but an ideal for serving them to guests, since 2 chicken breasts serve 4 people.

I would definitely make these again. They made me want to try other stuffing possibilities.


Feta and Spinach
from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
1/2 cup spinach (steamed and squeezed dry of any excess liquid)
2 tablespoons feta
2 tablespoons ricotta
1 green onion (sliced)
1 tablespoon dill (chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts (butterflied and pounded thin)
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot (diced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon dill (chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)


Directions:
1. Mix the spinach, feta, ricotta, green onion, dill, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Lay the chicken breasts out and split the spinach and feta mixture between them. Roll up the chicken around the filling and tie it up or secure it with toothpicks.
3. Season the chicken with season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the oil in a pan.
5. Add the chicken, brown on all sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
6. Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake in a 350F oven until it reaches 180F, about 30 minutes.
7. Melt the butter in the pan that you browned the chicken in.
8. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for a minute or two.
9. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
10. Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and reduce by half.
11. Remove from heat and mix in the heavy cream and herbs.