Hasselback Tuscan Baked Chicken Breasts

By charlotteh371

Ingredients

• FOR THE CREAMY STUFFING
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, (you can also just use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
• FOR THE CHICKEN
• 4 (4-ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. *see notes
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
Stir in spinach and sun-dried tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Stir frequently.

Season with Italian Seasoning and add in the cream cheese; cook for 1 minute, stirring until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside for 2 minutes.

Cut 5 to 6 slits/pockets on top of each chicken breast and season with salt and pepper. DO NOT cut through - cut about 3/4 of the way down and keep the base of the chicken breasts intact.

Place chicken breasts in the baking dish and fill each pocket of the chicken breasts with the spinach mixture.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness - chicken is cooked at 165˚F. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the chicken breasts.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Recipe Notes
WW FREESTYLE POINTS: 6

Use LIGHT CREAM CHEESE and lower your points down to 4.
NOTES:

* To minimize cleanup, use an oven safe skillet for the spinach mixture; use the same skillet to bake the chicken breasts.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS

Refrigerate COMPLETELY cooked Tuscan chicken breasts in an airtight container.
Cooked chicken breasts will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.