Recipe: Smothered Chicken

Comfort food is something that just makes people feel good. It's satisfying, heart-warming, and is plain ol' good.

This recipe for smothered chicken uses lean chicken breasts, fresh mushrooms and fresh flat leaf spinach and baked in the oven. It's simple to make and is great with a side of egg noodles and steamed broccoli.





SMOTHERED CHICKEN

4-6 skinless boneless organic chicken breasts
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 bag of pre-washed spinach (salad isle)
2 cans of organic cream of mushroom condensed soup
1/2 cup of low-sodium organic chicken broth
Paprika
3 TBL of olive oil

Heat a saute pan on medium/high heat. Season the chicken breasts with Paprika and brown. You do not need to cook the chicken all the way, it will finish cooking in the oven. Set aside in a baking dish.

Once all the chicken breasts have been browned, lower the heat to medium heat and toss in the fresh mushrooms and spinach. After sauteeing for about 1 minute add the 2 cans of cream of mushroom and chicken stock. Mix the ingredients for about 2-3 minutes and scrape the bottom of the pan, taking all the browned bits.

Transfer the sauce to the baking dish, over the brown chicken. Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve with steamed vegetables and egg noodles.


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Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts w/ Marinara Sauce

Chicken is awesome. There are millions of ways to make chicken. So much so, that sometimes, you just have no clue what to do with yet another chicken dinner! Here's a great recipe using chicken breasts, pounded thinly and rolled up with spinach and ooey gooey mozzarella cheese. As for the sauce, I used my favorite jarred marinara to save me some time. You can choose to make it from scratch, of course, but for the sake of saving me some time on this particular evening, I used a little help. This recipe is elegant and can be served with pasta, vegetables, or rice.

Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

3 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 lb of flat leaf spinach
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
1/2 of a medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp kosher salt
twine
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 jar of marinara sauce
6 TBL of olive oil (3 and 3)
1 TBL of water

Heat a large saute pan in meduim heat with olive oil. Saute the finely chopped onions and garlic just until the onions become translucent. Add the washes and drained, chopped spinach, red pepper flakes and salt. Saute for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool.

Heat the oven to 420 degrees. In a bowl, beat the egg with 1 TBL of water and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Take the Italian breadcrumbs and place it in a plate. Take a pounded chicken breast and carefully take 2 slices of mozzarella cheese and place it on the chicken breast, covering as much of the surface as you can. Then, take about 2-3 TBL of the spinach mixture and spread it all over the breast.  Carefully, roll up the chicken as tight as you can and tie each end with twine, securing that it will not open. Repeat on all of the chicken breasts.

Once all the chicken breasts have been stuffed and tied, dip each of them in the egg mixture and coat with Italian breadcrumbs. Heat a non-stick fry pan with 3 TBL of olive oil in high heat and brown the chicken. It is not important that it cooks all the way, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Once all the chicken breasts have been browned, place them on a baking sheet and place in the 420 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees and let rest before slicing into rounds and serving. Heat the marinara and serve on top as a sauce.