Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• Garlic

  Raw

  3 clove or 9g

• Spinach

  Cooked, boiled, drained, without salt

  3 oz or 85g

• Grape Tomatoes

  Freshdirect

  3 oz or 85g

• Oregano

  Spices, dried

  3 tbsp, leaves or 9g

• Zucchini

  Summer squash, includes skin, raw

  1 medium or 196g

• Squash

  Winter, acorn, raw

  1 squash (4 inch dia) or 431g

• Chicken breast

  Broilers or fryers, meat only, raw

  2 full breast (both fillets) or 472g

• Ricotta cheese

  Whole milk

  ¼ cup or 62g

• Cooking wine

  Alcoholic beverage

  1 fl oz or 29g

• Crushed red pepper flakes

  1 tsp or 0.3g

• Butter

  Unsalted

  2 tbsp or 28g

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mince garlic and divide in half. Rinse spinach and pat dry. Place a medium oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp. olive oil to hot pan. Add half of the garlic and all of the spinach and stir until spinach is wilted. Remove to a mixing bowl and refrigerate. Wipe pan clean and reserve for later step.
2. Thoroughly rinse produce and pat dry. Halve tomatoes. Stem and mince oregano. Trim ends from zucchini and yellow squash. Using a peeler, create ribbons of zucchini and yellow squash by peeling lengthwise. When you've peeled to seeds, turn a quarter turn, and peel again. Continue peeling and turning until only seeds remain. Cut ribbons in half to create shorter pieces. Discard seeds.
3. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Lay chicken breasts flat on cutting board and, holding a knife parallel to cutting board, make a slit down the length of the breast that goes ¾ of the way through the middle and open the breast like a book. This is called "butterflying". Season both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine chilled spinach with ricotta and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Scoop half the filling inside each chicken breast, then "close the book."
4. Place pan from previous step over medium-high heat and add 1 tsp.olive oil. Add chicken to pan and brown one side, about 3 minutes. Gently flip chicken and place pan into oven. Roast until a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees has been reached, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to rest. If using a thermometer to test for doneness, make sure you are taking the temperature of the chicken and not the stuffing.
5. While chicken is cooking, place a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp. olive oil into hot pan, add tomatoes, and cook 2 minutes. Add remaining garlic and white wine and cook 1 minute. Add oregano and red pepper flakes (to taste), and then swirl in butter. Stir in zucchini and yellow squash ribbons and cook until warmed through but still slightly crunchy, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper.
6. Divide squash ribbons between two plates and pour some pan sauce over them. Place stuffed chicken on top, and enjoy!

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