My Big Fat Greek Stuffed Chicken

Opa, bitches!

I was feeling uninspired. It was the first day back from a 3-day weekend, I had spent the good majority of the day catching up. By the time I realized I might need to figure out what the heck I was going to make BF and myself for dinner, it was after 6 and I still had to stop by CVS, the grocery store AND do laundry (BF got in a fight with a bottle of mustard, and it won).

So I turned to my newest food-based obsession – Pinterest. I get countless ideas for recipes on Pinterest, some that I can try out as-is and some great ideas for stuff I can skinny up to fit Downtown Girl standards. But, I was in no mood for reinventing the wheel (or say, a healthy version of Mac & Cheese – it’s an undertaking) so I needed to find something that was relatively healthy to begin with.

I had no idea what I was in the mood for, other than 1) easy and 2) cheap (BF and I are saving up to move to some new digs, holla!). And, you guessed it, I had some chicken I needed to cook up. So I poked around the likes of BBQ Chicken Pizzas, Chicken Fajitas, some sort of Chicken in Foil creation that looked ridiculously sinful until I found a picture of Rachel Ray’s Lazy Baked Greek Chicken.

Am I lazy? Yes. Do I like Feta Cheese? Yeppers. Do I ALWAYS have a couple packages of frozen spinach in the freezer? You betcha. And most of all, did I want to take out the day’s frustration on a piece of chicken with a rolling pin? Damn straight.

The basic idea for the recipe is the same, but I did make a few changes. I changed the method of how you stuff the chicken. I’ve never really gotten proficient at this butterfly-ing-to -fill technique. Plus, I just like hitting stuff with rolling pins. So there’s that. I nixed the breadcrumbs and made a quick Tzatziki Sauce to top it with. I threw in some Kalamata olives for BF since he’s an olive freak, but left it out of mine. Also, I added a little lemon juice to the filling, because really, what’s Greek food without a little lemon juice?

The result was a tasty treat that seemed like it took a LOT more work than it actually did. Downtown Girl: Mission Accomplished.

If you’re under your calories for the day, or need some carbs after a long workout, try it with Lemon and Thyme Couscous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Big Fat Greek Stuffed Chicken

Serves 4 (great as leftovers!)

Adapted from Rachel Ray’s Lazy Baked Greek Chicken.

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (18 oz total for 4 servings)

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 10-oz package frozen spinach

1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. Feta cheese (or Reduced Fat Feta)

Handful pitted Kalamata olives, chopped, about 5-6 or to taste (Optional)

Pinch grated nutmeg

Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425.

Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. If spinach is still frozen, put it in the microwave on defrost while preparing the chicken.

On a plastic cutting board, place chicken breast underside up and cover with a bit of plastic wrap. Proceed to beat the crap out of it with a rolling pin, until it’s a uniform thickness of a little less than half an inch. Repeat with remaining breasts.

Sidenote: Try to remember to put the rolling pin down before you answer a knock at the door. Finding a crazy-eyed, rolling-pin-wielding woman behind door number one is not good. It scares people.

Coat a nonstick skillet with a generous amount of cooking spray. Saute onion and garlic over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Transfer thawed spinach to a dishtowel and ring out all the extra moisture. Combine spinach, feta, lemon juice, olives (if using), sauteed onion and garlic, a pinch of nutmeg and a fresh cracked pepper in a bowl.

Season the underside of each chicken breast with salt and pepper, fill each with spinach mixture and fold over. You can use toothpicks to secure if you wish, but mine fit snugly in an 8X8 Pyrex so it wasn’t needed. Arrange in coated dish, and season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Serve with Tzatziki Sauce and/or Lemon and Thyme Couscous.

Nutrition Facts

1 (6-oz) serving

Calories: 220

Fat: 6g

Sat Fat: 3g

Carbs: 7g