Feta-Stuffed Chicken

Here's another quick and easy recipe with just a handful of ingredients.  The recipe came from a Cooking Light cookbook so it is, as published, very low in fat and calories.  However, if the chicken is just the tiniest bit overcooked, the chicken can become very dry.  Therefore, I would suggest adding a touch of butter to the stuffing as insurance.

The salad was a real surprise given it, too, only had a few ingredients:  spinach, basil, EVOO & balsamic vinegar.  Granted, I used my favorite and sparingly used "GOOD" EVOO (Laudemio) and balsamic (Cavalli) which is so smooth.  I did sprinkle some extra feta on the salad to add a bit more color.

FETA-STUFFED CHICKEN (4 servings)

4 (4 oz) skinned, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomatoes
vegetable cooking spray
1 1/2 tsp butter or margarine, melted
3 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp EVOO
1/8 tsp pepper

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4" thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.  Spoon 1 Tbsp cheese onto each piece of chicken; fold chicken in half.

Place folded breast halves in an 8x8" square baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Drizzle melted butter or margarine over chicken.  Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

Combine spinach and basil in a bowl; drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Sprinkle pepper over salad; toss well.  Serve chicken over salad.

Recipe Source:  Cooking Light Five*Star Recipes (1999), p. 112