Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parsnip Puree

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Parnip Puree

I have a confession to make…I am obsessed with stuffing meat.  Weird, I know, but it’s true.  Pork chops, chicken breasts, if I can slit a pocket in it and stuff it, I will!  Sounds like I have some repressed surgical aspirations…hmm…could be true…I do enjoy deboning meat…a super sharp knife does excite me…but for purely culinary reasons!  I digress, back to the stuffing of meat.  I find it so satisfying to turn a blah piece of meat into something truly impressive.  It sounds difficult and scary, but it’s not at all!  And once you get the method mastered, you will think of so many interesting ways to stuff meat!  Just go for it!  Take the knife to the chicken…you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

¾ Cup red onion, diced

¼ Cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

5 Kalamata olives, diced

1 Clove garlic, minced

¼ Cup olive oil, divided

1 Box chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 Teaspoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons dry white wine, divided

¾ Teaspoon Italian seasoning blend, divided

¼ Cup Parmesan

3/4 to 1 Pound parsnips

¾ Cup milk

4 Tablespoons butter, divided

½ Cup water

Salt and pepper

Step 1

The scariest part is the first step!  Once you have this done, the rest is super easy!  We’ll just get it out of the way, shall we?  Find your sharpest paring knife and carefully slice a large pocket along the side of each chicken breast.  Make sure you don’t cut through the chicken (you want it to hold all the delicious stuffing!), but don’t be afraid to cut the pocket close to the edges!  More stuffing = more flavor!

Step 2

Whew!  The hardest part is done!  The rest will be smooth sailing, so let’s get started!  We will get the chopping out of the way now.  Dice the onion and tomatoes.  Mince the garlic and chop the olives.  While you’re prepping, make sure you have drained the spinach too.  Squeeze all the liquid you can out of it.

Step 3

Place a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  When the olive oil has heated, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, olives and spinach.  Stir to combine.  Add the Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon white wine, ½ teaspoon each salt, pepper and Italian seasoning blend.  Stir to combine.  Transfer stuffing to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Step 4

Peel the parsnips just like you would a carrot.  Slice into 1 inch pieces.  Place the parsnips in a pot and cover them with water so they are completely immersed.  Cover with a lid and put the pot on the stove.  Turn it on to high, but keep an eye on it.  When it starts to boil, turn the heat back to medium high heat so it simmers.

Step 5

Stuff the chicken breasts.  Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper.

Step 6

Place the same skillet you used earlier (no reason to dirty another dish!) back on the stove.  Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and heat over medium heat.  When it has heated, place the chicken in the pan.  Cook on each side for 5 minutes.

Step 7
While the chicken is cooking, place 2 Tablespoons of butter in the milk and heat in the microwave until it has melted.  Check the parsnips.  When they are fork tender, drain them.  Place them in the food processor and puree them.  Add milk and butter until it is a very smooth, creamy mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

The chicken should be finished.  Remove it from the pan and add the remaining wine, butter, water and Italian seasoning to the pan.   Stir to deglaze the pan.  While this is reducing, you can plate.  Put a generous dollop of parsnips on two plates.  Gently place a chicken breast over the parsnips.  Check your pan sauce for seasoning (you may need some salt and pepper).  Then spoon it over both the chicken and the parsnips.  Dig in!  Congratulations!  You have now stuffed your own chicken breast and are on the way to obsession! J

Gastronome's Note:

You could add goat cheese or fontina along with the Parmesan for some extra creaminess and richness.  Also, I always cook the extra filling in the microwave to kill any bacteria from stuffing the chicken and then eat it for a snack!  It’s delicious on some baguette toasts with mozzarella or fontina melted on top!