Chicken stuffed with cream cheese spinach and sundried tomatoes

Ingredients

Sun-dried tomato-stuffed chicken with creamed spinach

• 40 gram sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 50 gram cream cheese spread
• 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 chicken breast fillets
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• steamed baby (chat) potatoes, to serve

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 2 green onions (shallots), thinly sliced
• 125 gram frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/4 cup cream
• pinch nutmeg

Method

Sun-dried tomato-stuffed chicken with creamed spinach

• 1

  Combine tomato, cream cheese, pistachio and parsley in a small bowl. Season. Cut a deep horizontal pocket in each chicken fillet. Fill each pocket with half the tomato mixture. Secure with toothpicks.

• 2

  Heat oil in a small frying pan over moderate heat. Add stuffed chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Remove toothpicks from chicken and cut each fillet into 3 even pieces.

• 3

  To make the creamed spinach, heat oil in cleaned pan over moderate heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until soft. Using hands, squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Add spinach to pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add cream and nutmeg to spinach mixture. Season. Simmer for 1 minute or until reduced slightly.

• 4

  Divide creamed spinach among serving plates and top with stuffed chicken and potato.

Notes

Try using walnuts or pecans instead of pistachios, and 1 tablespoon basil pesto instead of sun-dried tomatoes. Fill chicken with cream cheese mixture just before cooking.

The Latest from New Zealand Woman's Weekly Food