Sunday Dinner Series: Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I absolutely love Mediterranean cuisine! But, what’s not to love about this cuisine: it’s flavorful and healthy. Since I’m in no mood to cook a time-consuming meal during the week, I wait until I have more time on the weekends to prepare a meal like the one below.

Not too long ago, I wanted to prepare stuffed chicken breasts with spinach and feta. There were so many recipes to choose from. I couldn’t find just one recipe that had all the ingredients I wanted to use: spinach, feta, and black olives. So, I chose a couple of recipes and combined them to create the dish I wanted to prepare. The final outcome actually surprised me, and received the family thumbs up!

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Servings: 6-8
Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Difficulty: intermediate
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Ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cup crumbled feta
2 small cans chopped black olives
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped
2 cups frozen spinach, cooked
2 boxes Near East Rice Pilaf
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
1 pk McCormick’s Grill Mates marinade: Garlic herb

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place chicken in a bowl of cold, salt water (45 mins – 1 hr; this process tenderizes the chicken, and removes impurities). Rinse and set aside in a bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, prepare marinade according to directions.
Pour a generous amount of marinade mixture over chicken (set aside for 30 mins).
In a small saucepan, cook frozen spinach until done. Drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet, and saute garlic and onions until done. Add spinach, olives, and feta cheese. Mix thoroughly.
Cut chicken breasts lengthwise to form a pocket.
Stuff each chicken breast with spinach mixture.
Place chicken breasts on large baking pan. Bake 35 mins uncovered, or until done.
In a small bowl, mix Panko breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Coat top of chicken breasts with breadcrumbs. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Prepare rice pilaf according to package.
Serve chicken and remaining spinach mixture over rice pilaf. Serve with warm, flatbread.