Hey Keto People!
I don't usually post recipes like this because I am all about quick weeknight dinners. But this low carb stuffed chicken breast is something special!
This dish is low-carb, gorgeous, delicious and versatile. Plus it keeps well for weekday lunches or leftover night (we call this fend-for-yourself night around here).
It's also a great dish if you are having mixed company...meaning some Non-Keto guests.
Everyone...well almost everyone loves the ricotta and spinach combination.
Keto Enthusiasts tend to be very creative.
Don't be shocked, but some Non-Keto people tend to think it's weird that we eat mashed cauliflower or fried radishes and pretend its potatoes.Or spaghetti squash in place of pasta.
Photo credit: unknown. Someone texted the image to me. If it's yours let me know!
We are resourceful people...
But that's the beauty of Keto. It's fun to try new dishes.
This dish is the best of both worlds...enticing, good for your body and your macro count as well.
You can serve this dish with a cucumber side salad, asparagus or whatever else you want and it'll be sure to delight everyone at your table.
Having both zoodles and fettuccine on the table is a fantastic idea . Then everyone is able to choose whichever noodle bed they would like to top with this exquisite chicken.
This family friendly meal is absolutely delicious and you'll be glad you tried it.
This Keto Recipe is not just for the Keto Diet, it's for everyone at your table.
On to the chicken...
It's not difficult dish but it does take more time than the recipes I usually post. The total time including marinading or brining is 2.5 hours. You can marinate this meat overnight if you like to save time.
Either way, it's a plan ahead sort of deal.
Tips:
- Always marinate or brine chicken breast. (If you don't want it to be dry).
Cooked chicken breast tends to be dry...we all know that. But brining or marinating them helps.
There are some very specific reasons as to why.
- Salt allows the meat to draw in moisture.
- Salt denatures proteins, which allows them to unravel (and tenderize your meat)
- Salt dissolves some of the muscle fibers.
Don't worry, if you are brining, you rinse the breasts with COLD water before continuing with the recipe.
If you are brining the breasts you can use ½ gallon of cold water to ½cup of salt and let the breasts soak for no more than one hour.Rinse with cold water and continue.
If you leave this overnight your breasts will dissolve too much and become spongy....ewww.
- Marinading involves much less sodium and it's cool to leave them soaking for at least one hour and up to overnight in the fridge.
To make the marinade, I use Knorr Tomato Bullion ( mixed with water of course), olive oil and garlic powder. Seal it up with the breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc for at least an hour, or overnight.
- Butterfly the breasts and pound flat with a meat mallet if needed to get the meat a consistent thickness.
If your chicken breasts are thin you can slice them ALMOST in half and open like a book to butterfly. If they are thick you may need to make two cuts and open them up.
Like this:
- These particular breasts were very thick so I made a second cut to open them all the way up.
Like this:
Pretty soon, you'll have a little pile of breasts like this....weird.
- I always use latex gloves when working with meat because it can get messy.
Whether you are marinading or brining, using gloves will keep you from getting chicken bits under your nails and such.
I use these...but if you have a latex allergy you can check out the gloves that are made with oats. Yes, oats.
Are you still with me?
Good, the hard part is over. These babies are practically in the oven....
- Gather all of the stuff for the mixture.
This means the cheeses, eggs, spices and spinach. Mix them all together.
- Stuff ¼ of the mixture into each breast
I usually save the marinade from the Ziploc to let the breasts cook in.
It keeps my convection oven circulating moist air. You don't have to do this but I think it helps keep the breasts moist...(everyone's favorite word, mooooiest lol).
No caption needed...
- If your breasts fold over easily and envelop the mixture you can skip securing them with a toothpick.
This rarely happens so make sure you have a few toothpicks on hand.
Pro-tip: Make sure you know how many toothpicks you used so that you can remove them when they come out of the oven. It's a drag when an unsuspecting guest bites into one.
- I like to top these with fresh Roma Tomatoes because they are delicious, look beautiful and keep in even more moisture.
You can skip this if you are tomato adverse...
- Check the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer.
It should read 165F and look sort of like this...gorgeousness.
- This is too much food for most people and a serving size is ½ of a breast.
This is SUPER FILLING food.
Serve with zoodles or veggies & salad.
Sometimes I top this chicken with Sugar Free Marinara Sauce & Mozzarella or a quickie Alfredo Sauce...
I'll post the recipe below the chicken. It's so easy and filling but may be TOO much cheese for some people so serve it on the side.
Slice open and serve with a veggie. These tasty green beans go perfectly with this dish.
If you are looking for dessert to serve with this we've got that covered too:
Check out all of sumptuous low carb desserts here.
While you're at it we have some good drink recipes and hors d'oeuvres for parties too.
Don't forget to check out the Alfredo Sauce below if you are planning on serving this chicken with sauce. I think it stands on it's own nicely but you have the option if you want it.
Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Bullion Knorr
- ¾ cup Water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken Breasts
- 4 Skinless Chicken Breasts About 3.5 to 4 lbs
- 1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
- 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach thaw or microwave and squeeze dry
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh clove of garlic minced
- 2 eggs beaten
- 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded is best
- 3 Roma Tomatoes Sliced
Instructions
- Marinate chicken breasts in tomato bullion oil and garlic powder for at least one hour. Can be left overnight in fridge if desired. I do this in a ziploc bag so the marinade bag can be turned over and will soak into all sides of the meat.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Butterfly chicken breasts and pound flat with the flat side of a meat mallet. ( See Tips for instructions if you are not sure how to do this). Hint: It's a good idea to wear kitchen gloves if you have them. This can be messy.
- In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, garlic, eggs and cheese.
Mix well and stuff each breast with ¼ of the mixture; secure with toothpicks and place stuffed breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. - Top with sliced tomatoes and salt/pepper if desired. The tomatoes will keep the breasts moist and add flavor.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175C) for 60-70 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the internal temp of the thickest part of the meat is 165F. Use a thermometer to check.
- Let rest 10 minutes, slice breasts in half horizontal and serve with a side. See tips for topping with sauce.
Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional values are provided as a courtesy to our readers. I aim to be as accurate as possible but feel free to do your own calculations if anything looks off on this site or ANY site.
If you would like to serve this chicken dish with sauce....
Super Easy Alfredo Sauce
(1 NET CARB PER SERVING)
Tips:
This one is pretty self explanatory but you can add a pinch of nutmeg if you want to get the traditional "Alfredo taste" going.
Easy Alfredo Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Heavy Whipping cream
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter and cream cheese in a small sauce pan on low heat.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese, and stir until combined. DON'T BOIL.
- Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Pour as much as or little Alfredo Sauce over your dish as desired.
Notes
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Readers' Favorite Categories:
Nutrition
I hope you like this "company is coming" chicken recipe as much as we do!
If you have any questions please leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Brandy
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