Spinach and Harissa Stuffed Chicken 🐓

Winter has sprung on me way quicker than I thought! I felt I skipped over fall entirely, and I'm knee-deep (literally) in snow. After my adventure back from Pakistan, and with snow on the horizon, I came back inspired and excited to continue creating new recipes. My craving was only comfort food, and my thought immediately went to a specific recipe I had made way back in the day, and I made it my mission to create it again. What that might be you ask? Stuffed chicken!

Now I have made this recipe in the past with only spinach, but I knew I wanted to kick it up a notch. I modified this recipe by adding Harissa, and you might think, is that a good pairing with spinach? Absolutely! Not only does it add the kick of spice it needs, but it also marries so well with the chicken. It is a match made in heaven 💛

The recipe is simple, but time-consuming for sure. I paired this with mashed potatoes and my pull-apart bread (check out my recipe on the site) and it was a hearty yet comforting meal, exactly what I needed. 😊

Spinach and Harissa Stuffed Chicken 🐓

Ingredients:

• 2-4 chicken breasts, flatten if needed

• salt and pepper to season

• sprinkle of red pepper

• sprinkle of parsley

• olive oil

Spinach Mixture

• 3 cups of spinach, chopped roughly

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

• 1 spoon of garlic and ginger paste

• 1 spoon of sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

• 3 tablespoons of harissa paste

• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon of oregano

• 1 teaspoon of basil

• 1 teaspoon of paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves

• dash of parsley flakes

Steps:

1. Begin by flattening out your chicken breast, if needed. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and red pepper on each side of the chicken breast until well coated. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chopped spinach, cream cheese, ginger-garlic paste, sun-dried tomatoes (again, optional), harissa paste, cheese, and all spices. Using gloves, combine the mixture well until fully combined.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and prep an oven-safe dish (if you are not cooking your chicken breast in a skillet). I used a Dutch oven as an alternative.

4. Prep your station! Cut a pocket in the chicken breast, but be careful you dont cut too far into the chicken where you make a hole for the mixture to leak. Stuff the chicken with the mixture, but dont overstuff. Add toothpicks to make sure the mixture doesnt leak.

5. Place your Dutch oven on medium heat, add oil, and once hot, add your stuffed chicken one at a time. Brown each side until nice and golden, at least 3-4 minutes. I use tongs to flip them easily.

6. Add the chicken breast to the oven-safe dish, and bake for 25 minutes or so, depending on its size, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165.

7. Pair with mashed potatoes, pull-apart bread (check out the recipe on my site), or any other sides.

8. Bon Appetite!