Baked Boneless Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach & Cheese

There are two different ways to cook these - both good. The stuffed rolls may be fried in a minimum of fat or baked in the oven and served with a tarragon or dill sauce. Whether you bake or fry the rolls, the chicken becomes firm as it cooks. Just make sure the chicken surrounds the stuffing and it will stay together. Read the entire recipe through before you start, because the first set of ingredients is only for the stuffing, not cooking. the recipe for the sauce, which is as good with fish as with chicken, is at the end. The herb you choose is a matter of personal taste.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF

Ingredients

2 lbs. fresh spinach (1 ½ pounds trimmed)
8 large chicken breasts, skinned and boned
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
⅓ cup scallions, thinly sliced
⅓ cup bread crumbs
1 cup Swiss cheese, coarsely grated
½ tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

To Fry:
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water
⅔ cup bread crumbs
⅓ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. pepper
4-6 Tbsp. oil or shortening

To Bake:
⅔ cup chicken broth
Tarragon or Dill sauce

Method

Wash and trim the spinach. Place it in a large pot with the water remaining on the leaves. Cook over medium-low heat only until the spinach wilts. Cook over medium-low heat only until the spinach wilts. Drain well, run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking, and squeeze it as dry as possible with your hands. Chop the spinach. You need 1 ½ cups.

Flatten (pound) the chicken breasts into ¼-inch-thick cutlets with a mallet or rolling pin.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté until they soften. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper. Divide the stuffing mixture into eight parts. Place one portion on each flattened chicken breast and roll up or fold in the sides to enclose.

To Fry:
Beat the egg and water together in a shallow pan. Mix the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in another shallow pan. Roll each stuffed chicken breast in the egg and then in the crumbs to coat lightly. Fry in a minimum of fat (no more than ¼ inch), turning four times (one-quarter turn each time), until the rolls are completely brown on all sides - about 15 minutes. When fried, these are good with or without the sauce.

To Bake:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF
Make the rolls as directed and place them in a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish, seam side down.

Pour the broth into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake at 400ºF for about 30 minutes or until done. Top with the sauce.

See Tarragon or Dill Sauce Recipe on website.