Feta cheese, roasted peppers, spinach and more flavors from the Mediterranean fill these easy stuffed chicken breasts. Browning the chicken in a skillet before baking gives it a beautiful golden color, and finishing it in the oven ensures that this healthy baked chicken recipe cooks evenly throughout.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Step 1
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Combine feta, roasted red peppers, spinach, olives, basil, parsley and garlic in a medium bowl.
Step 2
Using a small knife, cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Stuff each breast pocket with about 1/3 cup of the feta mixture; secure the pockets using wooden picks. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Heat oil in a large oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the stuffed breasts, top-sides down, in the pan; cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken; transfer the pan to the oven. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Drizzle the chicken evenly with lemon juice. Remove the wooden picks from the chicken before serving.