Baked Spinach Ricotta Chicken (Print)
Juicy stuffed chicken breasts with creamy spinach ricotta filling, baked until golden and delicious.
# Ingredient List:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon salt
04 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
→ Filling
05 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
06 - 1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - ½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
11 - 1 egg yolk
12 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Topping
13 - ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
14 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal pocket into each breast without cutting completely through.
03 - Combine ricotta, spinach, garlic, Parmesan, Italian herbs, nutmeg, egg yolk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly incorporated and smooth.
04 - Fill each chicken breast pocket with ricotta-spinach mixture. Secure openings with toothpicks if necessary to prevent filling from escaping.
05 - Rub olive oil over exterior of each breast. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
06 - Arrange stuffed chicken in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella and additional Parmesan evenly over each breast.
07 - Bake for 25-30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F and cheese is golden and bubbly.
08 - Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Remove toothpicks, slice crosswise to reveal filling, and serve immediately.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- This is the kind of dinner that makes people think you spent hours in the kitchen when really it took twenty minutes of actual work
- The combination of creamy ricotta and bright spinach tucked inside juicy chicken feels fancy without any fancy techniques
02 -
- Squeezing every drop of water out of your spinach is nonnegotiable unless you want soggy filling leaking everywhere
- Letting the chicken rest after baking keeps all those juices inside instead of running onto your cutting board
03 -
- Pound the chicken slightly to an even thickness before cutting pockets so everything cooks at the same rate
- A meat thermometer takes all the guesswork out of doneness and prevents overcooked dry chicken