Monday, November 9, 2015

Chicken with Walnuts & Spinach

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes.

I came across it a few years ago and have frequently referred to it on Prevention.com. But recently when I tried to access it, the website had undergone some updates, and the URL I had bookmarked no longer worked. I ultimately found it again, but I decided to save my favorite recipes where I know I can access them!

This recipe is very forgiving. I have had success with dehydrated onion. I typically use frozen spinach. I use whatever cheese I have on hand -- most often cheddar. And the amounts I use vary. I've accidentally burned the walnuts and overcooked the chicken, but surprisingly this gave it a good flavor (and dinner wasn't ruined). It also freezes very well. I could eat it every day for dinner, I think.

Chicken with Walnuts & Spinach
serves 2-4
cooking oil
1/3 c chopped onion (or about 1 Tbsp dehydrated onion)
1 c walnut pieces, chopped (I like to use my food processor)
1 c baby spinach, chopped (frozen spinach works fine & thaws in the skillet)
1/2 c grated provolone (or whatever cheese you like -- I usually use cheddar)
4 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I just take 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and slice them myself!)

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
  2. Heat about 1 Tbsp oil in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and half of the chopped walnuts and cook a few minutes, stirring often. Add spinach. Cook until wilted (or thawed), about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese.
  3. Put remaining walnuts in a shallow bowl. 
  4. Spread out chicken on a cutting board or baking tray, and sprinkle with ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper. Divide spinach mixture among chicken slices and roll up to enclose. 
  5. Coat chicken with a little oil and roll in remaining nuts (I pour some oil into a pyrex baking dish, roll the chicken in it, then in the walnuts, and place it in the pyrex to bake). 
  6. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.