Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

So D made this. He is very good at stuffing chicken, so no issues on that. And it seemed easy, since I was talking to him while he was doing this.

Perhaps because we were watching Family Guy where Peter and Chris go to Vegas for a quickie Bar Mitzvah, it put this in my head. The chicken tasted like dry buffet chicken you get at a wedding or Bar Mitzvah. Good, but not great. It needed something wet, even like a fattier cheese, or wine/lemon juice on top.

We had with Creamy Parmesan Orzo to use more of the pine nuts.

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nuts

Other Time: 40 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed chicken breast half)

5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach to pan; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly. Place spinach in a colander; press until barely moist. Wipe pan clean.

3. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, juice, and garlic. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 3 tablespoons filling into each pocket. Seal with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Add broth, and cover pan. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until done.

CALORIES 297 ; FAT 11.6g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.4g,poly 2.4g); CHOLESTEROL 111mg; CALCIUM 131mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.4g; SODIUM 493mg; PROTEIN 43.3g; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 2.7mg

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2010