Chicken Breasts Stuffed with
Spinach and Gorgonzola

The beauty of this simple recipe is its versatility. Change the spices to create different flavors. One idea is to make several versions at once and then serve a slice of each to every diner. For simplicity this recipe uses dried spices. Garrett ate this meal twice at the 2008 Olympic Trials. It certainly worked for him.

Ingredients:

Stuffed chicken breasts

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (as many as
  you want to cook)
• 1 tablespoon of crumbled gorgonzola
  cheese per breast
• Fresh spinach leaves to cover chicken breast
  one layer thick
• Spice option one
• Garlic
• Dried shallots
• Pepper
• Low-sodium sea salt
• Spice option two
• Garlic
• Dried shallots
• Savory
• Smoked paprika
• Spice option three
• Garlic
• Savory
• Oregano
• Parsley flakes

Sauce

• Liquid from cooked chicken breasts
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth (for every four breasts)
• (You can find broth with as little as 70 mg of sodium per serving.)
• 2 tablespoons extra broth
• ½ teaspoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon parsley flakes

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Preparation:
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Carefully slice each chicken breast in half without slicing all the way through. Open the breast and lay it flat on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper with the “inside” down. Place two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper on top of the breast. Use a kitchen mallet to pound the breast so it is ¼ inch thick. Pound from the center out. Don’t worry if you mess up the first one. You will become very good at this after doing a few.

Flip the breast and season liberally. Place one layer of spinach leaves on each breast. Sprinkle cheese onto spinach. Roll the breasts and use tooth picks to keep the roll together.

Place each breast on a sheet of aluminum foil and make a pouch. Be careful not to let the tooth picks pierce the foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees for safe consumption. You can test this with an instant meat thermometer.

Remove from oven and carefully open each pouch. CAREFUL! The steam can burn you.

Place the stuffed chicken breasts on a plate. Pour the excess liquid from cooking into the sauce you have already started. (See below.)

Sauce
While the chicken is cooking, heat ½ cup of low-sodium chicken stock and ½ teaspoon of parsley flakes (for four breasts) in a sauce pan. In a separate cup, mix ½ teaspoon of corn starch and two tablespoons of chicken broth. When the stock begins to boil, slowly stir the corn starch mixture into the boiling stock. Do this a little at a time to make sure the mixture does not get too thick.

When you remove each chicken breast from its foil pouch, pour the excess liquid into your sauce pan. (You can cook up to four breasts in a foil pouch. It’s a little easier with two, though.) This liquid may include bits of cheese, spinach and spices. If so, perfect! It just means more flavor.

Boil sauce vigorously! Reduce 50 percent or until desired thickness.

Let’s eat
Chicken breasts should be cool enough to cut in about five minutes. Your sauce should be ready as well. Cut the rolls into ½ inch slices. Drizzle with sauce. Enjoy!

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Recipe contest: share your favorite, original, healthy recipe
Since eating right is so much easier when the food tastes great, I've started a reader recipe contest. E-mail an original healthy recipe to me at garrett@gwgswims.com.