Hello Fall!
I am excited to be sharing this simple and scrumptious recipe I whipped up for my meal prep this week. With the first week of Autumn upon us, and living up to its blustery and damp reputation, I was feeling something more “comfort food” and warming. This is a twist on a family fave we all know and love…the stuffed chicken ;p
There are many ways to enjoy this dish, including the classic cordon bleu. However, there is one ingredient that is almost always present, and that my friends is cheese. Lots of it!
Now, maybe your thinking, if it aint broke…and as much as in the past I have enjoyed indulging in that gooey goodness, there is an increasing number of people out there who are realizing that dairy ( or too much dairy) might not be the best thing for their individual health.
This spurred me on to find a flavor combo that wouldn’t leave you thinking cheddar would have made it better!
I tried a few different fillings and I think there is a lot of room for people to get creative with their fave foods here. At the end of it all though, I had to stick with the taste that is always pleasing and bursting with goodness, the Mediterranean.
I made these two ways, that were both fabulous and definitely left the old idea of plain chicken for meal prep in the dust. One batch I used Daiya mozzarella-style shreds (a dairy free substitute that melts well), and the other I left the “cheese” out altogether. I am a fan of Daiya when it is melted, and this recipe didn’t call for much, but it worked nicely to bind all the stuffing and kick it up a notch, however, I thoroughly enjoyed both, so experiment and decide whats right for your taste buds!
Ingredients:
makes 4 small to medium sized stuffed chicken breasts
- 4 small to medium (5 oz) sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup quartered button mushrooms
- 1/4 cup onions diced
- 1/2 cup (or 67 grams for macros) chopped grilled marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 1/2 cloves garlic diced finely
- Pinch pink Himalayan or brown salt (white salt is always processed)
- A few twists of cracked pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
- Tooth picks
- Optional: 1/4 cup Daiya mozzarella-style shreds (you can find it at the health food store or Thrifty’s by the regular shredded cheese)
Directions:
Place your chicken breasts on a cutting board between two pieces wax paper and pound out to desired thinness with a mallet or rolling pin. Set aside. Mix all other ingredients (except Daiya) in an oven safe pan and saute (you can put the onion and garlic in first but I didnt get that fussy) in the coconut oil until just lightly browning. Now distribute filling evenly in the center of your readied chicken. Top each filling pile with a few sprinkles of Daiya if your using it, then roll one end of the breast around the filling while tucking edges to keep it all in there and secure to the other end of the chicken with toothpicks (I soak the picks in water first to prevent burning). Then place them all back in the pan and use tongs to gently sear them on all sides. Place the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking at 375 degrees for approx 25 minutes, depending on your oven, keep an eye on them.
Remove and serve with some salad, zucchini pasta or baked rustic-style chopped yams…enjoy 🙂 XO
Aprox Macros 1 serving: With Daiya
Calories 225
Carbs 5.1
Fat 10.6
Protein 27.3
Without Daiya
Calories 203
Carbs 3.4
Fat 9.1
Protein 27.1