We have a fabulously tasty recipe for you, suitable for Step 3 and above. Stuffing the chicken breasts with a creamy filling of healthy spinach makes them more flavoursome and juicy when you bite into them, yum!
Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Calories: 400kcals Steps: 3, 4 and 5
Ingredients
60g baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp extra light soft cheese 2 x 125g boned, skinned chicken breasts Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon 1 green, red or yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks 1 small red onion, cut into wedges 1 courgette, sliced 80g cherry tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled Sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary Spray oil A drizzle of balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper Basil leaves to garnish (optional)
Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
2. Put the spinach in a pan with a teaspoon of water and place over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Cover with a lid and shake the pan once or twice until the leaves wilt and turn bright green. Remove from the heat and drain the spinach in a sieve or colander, pressing down well to squeeze out any moisture.
3. Chop the spinach finely and mix with the soft cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Make a deep slit in each chicken breast with a sharp knife and open it up to create a ‘pocket’. Fill with the spinach mixture and push the chicken around it to enclose it.
4. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan. Sprinkle the lemon zest and juice over the top and arrange the green pepper, red onion, courgette and tomatoes around them. Tuck in the garlic cloves and herbs and season with black pepper. Spray lightly with oil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the vegetables are tender and slightly charred. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins over the vegetables.
6. Arrange the chicken breasts on 2 serving plates and serve with the roasted vegetables, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and garnish with basil.
Variations You can choose any vegetables for roasting from the Step 2 list, including asparagus, aubergine, courgettes, fennel, leeks, mushrooms and pumpkin. Use cottage cheese and a pinch of ground nutmeg instead of soft cheese in the filling. Flavour the spinach and soft cheese with diced chilli for a spicier taste. To really seal in the juices, wrap the chicken breasts in foil before baking.