Stuffed Chicken

A few years back, one of my girlfriends invited a bunch of our girlfriends over to her house for dinner. I was a little bit skeptical at first because I wasn't certain if this particular girlfriend of mine could cook. She said she was making stuffed chicken - which I assumed would be some sort of bread like stuffing - but turns out, it was stuffed with cheese. Well, if you know me and my love of cheese, you know this was a huge hit with me. So, out came the chicken in all its glory. Nice and golden brown with a ooey goeey cheesy center. Yep - it was delish. We had a great night that night - we ate, drank some wine, I did the heimlich maneuver on one of my girlfriends who was choking - you know, just your typical night. :)

Now that I have filled you in on that, this recipe is a tribute to my good friend Brittany who has been my good buddy since I was ten years old!

Cheesy Stuffed Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts butterflied and pounded thin (about 1/2" thick)
• 1 container part skim ricotta
• 1 cup Italian style cheese
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
• 10-12 basil leaves
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Lay your chicken breasts out flat and salt and pepper both sides generously. In the meantime, combine the rest of your ingredients in a food processor until fairly smooth. Scoop one (or two if you are me) scoops of the mixture into the middle of each chicken breast. Fold over and tie with kitchen twine. Back in casserole dish (yes, the cheese oozes out everywhere) at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

It is funny how food can bring back such great memories. I hope you enjoy this dish!