Crusted, stuffed chicken

Crusted, Stuffed Chicken

 

1C           Low Fat Ricotta

2T           Grated Parm Cheese

1T           Fresh Basil, chopped

1              Minced Garlic Clove

Small handful of chopped baby spinach

Small handful of diced grape tomatoes

Dash of Oregano

Ian's Gluten free Breadcrumbs/Panko

Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

2 tsp       Olive Oil

 

Combine ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, parm, basil, garlic, sea salt,  and pepper until thoroughly combined.

 

Rinse the chicken breast then cut a slit in it for stuffing (my chicken breasts were not slitable, so I pounded them out to make more of a wrap).  Fill the caveity with the mixture, season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper, then carefully dip both sides into bread crumbs until both sides are evenly covered.  Close with a toothpick.

 

Heat the olive oil in an oven proof skillet on the stove on medium high heat.   Once the pan is hot, brown the chicken on each side until golden brown (3-4 mins). Then cook chicken in oven for 20 mins at 400 degress or until the chicken is cooked through.  

Chicken Parm "Meatballs"

I found this on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it.  These were yummy!  Now, I had some left over breading in the freezer from the Mother's Day meal, as I honestly double to triple any breading recipe as I like it coated!   And I used that left over instead of what is listed below, but it's not that completely different.  It worked really well.

Chicken Parmesan "meatballs"

Ingredients

·1 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko

·1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)

·1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·1  egg

·1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)

·1/2 cup diced white onion  (I used dried onion flakes)

·2 cloves garlic, minced

·1 tablespoon dried oregano

·6 fresh basil leaves, torn (my grocery store was out, I used dried)

·1 pinch salt and pepper

·16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block

·2 cups  marinara sauce of your choice

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.    In a small ziploc bak, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil.  Set aside.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

4.    Lightly coat a  muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.

5.    Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.

6.    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.

7.    Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.

8.    In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.

9.    Serve meatballs with warmed marinara