Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Ricotta, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Hi guys. Me again. And I brought a friend, Spinach and Ricotta. Remember him? He's awesome. But this time, he brought Sun-Dried Tomatoes along and let me tell you, three is most definitely NOT a crowd with this group.

This recipe is so easy and delicious. It's perfect for a quick after-work dinner or to make over the weekend and refrigerate for lunches for the week. I've made a lot of chicken in my lifetime, but I think I can officially say this will be my new go-to recipe.

It's really easy too, you guys. You just need to cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise, mix up your filling, and spread it on the chicken. Cutting chicken breasts lengthwise isn't the easiest thing to do, but you'll be okay if you use a sharp knife. I promise. Also, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just cut them in half lengthwise as best as you can.

 PRE-CUT CHICKEN BREASTS

CHICKEN BREASTS HALVED LENGTHWISE

Then, mix up your filling. It's important to use sun-dried tomatoes that are NOT in oil. It's much healthier this way.

Then just spread the filling across the chicken halves, top with the other halves, and bake!

The end result? Perfectly cooked chicken with a warm, cheesy, spinachy (I'm officially making "spinachy" a word - I'm an editor, pretty sure I can do that) filling.

Ta-da! I made this for the first time a few days ago and sent a picture to my friend since I knew she loved the Spinach and Ricotta English Muffin Pizzas I posted a few weeks ago. I know she'll be making this, and I'd love to know if you try it, too!

Until next time!

Ingredients

• 4 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use Perdue Perfect Portions)
• 1/2 cup part skin ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package instructions (TIP: I cook the whole package [9 or 10 oz, depending on the brand] and just store the leftovers in a tupperware in the refrigerator)
• 6 sun-dried tomato halves, not in oil, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese (or grated parmesan cheese)
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to taste)

Serving size: One stuffed chicken breast

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 5

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick, no-calorie cooking spray and set aside.
2. Using a very sharp knife, carefully halve the chicken breasts lengthwise. If the chicken isn’t very thick, this will be difficult, but doable. If you don’t get the halves exactly even, it’s fine. Close enough is fine – we’re not striving for perfection here.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and grated cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and mix to combine.
4. From the chicken breast halves, take the four larger halves and arrange them on the baking sheet. Distribute the spinach mixture evenly across all four halves, then top with the smaller halves.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Let the chicken cool slightly (just a couple of minutes) before serving.

Nutritional Information

Spinach and Ricotta English Muffin Pizzas

I think that spinach and ricotta might be one of my favorite combinations. Full disclosure, I only realized this about a year and a half ago when my husband and I moved to Bethpage. When moving to a new town, it's important to scout out a few locations. You need to find a new go-to restaurant, bagel place, sushi place, and of course, pizza place.

In our search for our new go-to pizza place, one of the places we tried had this amazing spinach ricotta slice. Cheesy, warm ricotta cheese mixed with spinach and topped with melted mozzarella. DROOL. It's absolutely delicious, but I can imagine the nutritional stats are less than impressive.

I knew I wanted to create a lighter version. Enter the English muffin.

What a great lower-calorie alternative for crust! English muffin pizzas are nostalgic for me. My mom used to make them for dinner from time to time when I was a kid. As an adult, I've created and eaten many variations of the English muffin pizza, with many different toppings, but I have to say this version is my favorite. And it's really easy, too!

While the oven is preheating, toast your English muffins. It's not a necessity, but I prefer my English muffin pizzas to be a little crispy.

Mix the ricotta, spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Distribute evenly among the toasted muffins, and top with grated cheese.

Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella, bake for 8-10 minutes, and that's it - dinner's ready!

Easy, fast, and delicious - what more could you ask for? As always, feedback is appreciated if you give this one a shot. 

Until next time!

Ingredients

• Two Fiber One English muffins (I like the original variety)
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package instructions (TIP: I cook the whole package [9 or 10 oz, depending on the brand] and just store the leftovers in a tupperware in the refrigerator)
• 1/4 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1.4 tsp garlic powder (or more, to taste)
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese

Serving size: Entire recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value: 11

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Toast the English muffins to your desired level of crispiness. Arrange on the foil.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread evenly over the four English muffin halves.
4. Sprinkle the ricotta cheese and shredded mozzarella evenly over the muffins. 
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted completely. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and then enjoy!

Nutritional information