Thursday, June 3, 2010

Spanokopita Stuffed Chicken Breasts


I am on such a Greek food kick right now.  The filling for these chicken breasts is inspired by Spanokopita, which is a Greek pie, with spinach, onions, and cheese.   It's yummy!  I served it with a version of my Tuscan Marinated Mushrooms, but used Greek salad dressing instead.

Serves 2.

5 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and juice squeezed out  (1/2 of a 10 oz package
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup fat free Feta cheese
1/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 chicken breasts, pounded flat
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in small skillet.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the spinach, parsley, salt and pepper, and let cook for another 2 minutes.
Take off the heat, and add in the feta and ricotta cheeses.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board.  Put half the spinach mixture on one end each chicken breast, and roll up, securing with 2-3 toothpicks.
Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.
Put the seasoned breadcrumbs in another small bowl.
Dip each chicken breast in the egg wash, and then into the breadcrumbs, covering completely.
Place each chicken breast on a greased (I used PAM) cookie sheet, and bake for 30 minutes.

My review:  This was absolutely delicious, and easy to prepare.  I did everything up to securing the chicken breasts with toothpicks the night before.  Then, all I had to do was dip in egg and breadcrumbs, and bake!  It was a delicious meal that I will definitely make again.  Another plus is that it's very low fat.  The original recipe was a weight watcher recipe, but I took out some extra items that weren't necessary for the full flavor, and helped my grocery bill be a bit smaller!