Hasselback Chicken with Spinach and Cheese (Printable)
Tender sliced chicken breasts filled with cheese, spinach and tomatoes, baked until golden.
# What You Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 6 oz each)
→ Filling
02 - 3.5 oz baby spinach, washed
03 - 3.5 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
04 - 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Seasonings
06 - 2 tbsp olive oil
07 - 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
08 - ½ tsp paprika
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# How To Cook:
01 - Preheat your oven to 390°F.
02 - Using a sharp knife, make deep cuts about ½ inch apart across each chicken breast, being careful not to cut all the way through the meat.
03 - Combine the mozzarella cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and minced garlic in a mixing bowl until evenly distributed.
04 - Gently press the filling into each cut of the chicken breasts, ensuring the mixture is nestled securely in the slices.
05 - Place the stuffed breasts in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with Italian herbs, paprika, salt, and pepper.
06 - Bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F) and the filling is golden and bubbly.
07 - Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The way the cheese melts into every single crevice creates these incredible flavor pockets in every bite
- It looks impressive enough for dinner guests but comes together in under an hour
02 -
- A really sharp knife makes the difference between clean slices and shredded chicken, so take a moment to hone yours before starting
- Overstuffing the cuts will cause the filling to spill out, so less is more when you're tucking everything in
03 -
- Chop your sun-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the filling
- If the spinach is wet after washing, give it a quick spin in a salad spinner so your filling doesn't get watery