I am shamlessly taking this recipe from my dear friend Noah (who I think got this from his dad). Noah – if you read this, thank you for sharing! I’ve changed a few little details, but here is a wonderful, simple recipe that’s perfect for those just learning to cook or for others who just love these flavors. It’s a fantastic comfort dish that takes about 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to cook.

Ingredients

chicken breasts (~4x)
1 small package frozen chopped spinach (~2 cups)
1 small container Ricotta (~2 cups)
~1 cup parmesan
~handful Feta (optional)
1 small white or yellow onion (or half of large), chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
1 egg
olive oil
salt
black pepper
bread crumbs or plain corn flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F or roughly 200C.
2. Butterfly chicken (I.e. cut in half like a bagel, but do not cut all the way through). Season lightly with salt and pepper. Get out two large plates or flat dishes. Scramble the egg in one dish and put bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes in the other. Dip the outside layer of chicken in the egg, then the crumbs. Lay crumb side down onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Defrost spinach. Be sure to squeeze all the water out. Finely chop onion and mince garlic. Saute onion and garlic in oil at medium heat until translucent. Mix into spinach and set aside.
4. In large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan and feta. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper. Use less salt if using feta. Combine cheese mixture with spinach. It’s more fun if you use your hands!
5. Stuff each chicken breast with spinach and cheese mixture. Be sure to not overstuff! If you need to, use toothpicks to secure chicken. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Notes

• Can be served with cous cous. Trick to making cous cous more flavorful is to use chicken broth instead of water. Add in sauteed onion, garlic and zucchini for some more flavor. And of course butter makes everything better!
• Could also be served with a big arugula/rocket salad with shallots and toasted pine nuts in balsamic vinaigrette.
• Use the leftover spinach and cheese mix to make a dip! Simply bake in a small casserole dish. If you’d like, sprinkle some parmesan on top for a nice crust!
• I almost always have leftover filling for this dish so feel free to buy a few more chicken breasts, and if it turns out there’s not enough filling just freeze the chicken!

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