Chicken Stuffed with Spinach & Sun Dried Tomatoes

Yesterday I had taken two chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw with the intention of making some sort of Italian pasta or something for dinner. But when it came around to dinner time, I just didn't feel like making that. 

Instead, I threw this together, and I'm oh so glad I did.

It's chicken stuffed with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, then breaded and baked to yummy perfection.

If you don't have sun dried tomatoes, you could try it with fresh tomatoes, or some roasted red peppers. 

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Sun Dried Tomatoes

2-4 chicken breasts, thawed

Handful of fresh spinach, chopped.

One sun dried tomato per chicken breast

1-2 sticks/chunks per chicken breast of "Pizza Cheese" (or shredded mozzarella if you're in the U.S.)

Salt & pepper

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs (or regular breadcrumbs, or crushed Monaco crackers)

2 TBS of olive oil

Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (350 F)

1. Chop your spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and get your cheese ready. Here were my filling ingredients assembled:

This was for 2 pieces of chicken - not quite all the spinach fit

2. Season both sides of the chicken with some salt and pepper. Cut a slit into the sides of the chicken, but don't cut all the way through - creates a pocket to stuff your filling into.

3. Stuff some cheese, chopped spinach and sun dried tomato into each chicken breast. Secure the slit closed with toothpicks.

4. Dip each stuffed chicken breast into the egg, then coat with the Panko bread crumbs. 

5. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pan. Brown the chicken on both sides for about 2 minutes, or just enough to brown and crisp up the Panko. (Skip this step if you're not using Panko).

6. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

7. Carefully remove the toothpicks before serving!