The Crispiest Stuffed Chicken Recipe

The cheesy restaurant chicken dish (one likely to involve bacon and ranch dressing as well) will ruin any shot you have at a good day of eating. Apply those same appealing flavors at home to crispy stuffed chicken breast, though, and you'll escape unscathed.

Nutrition: 500 calories, 19 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 790 mg sodium

Serves 4

You'll Need

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
4 cups baby spinach
1⁄4 cup roasted red peppers
2 Tbsp pine nuts
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 oz each), pounded to 1⁄2" thickness (many markets sell chicken cutlets already pounded)
1⁄2 cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups bread crumbs, preferably panko6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

How to Make It

1. Heat 1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the prosciutto strips. Cook until lightly crisp, about 1 minute.
2. Add the spinach, peppers, and pine nuts. Cook until the spinach is fully wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
3. Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Divide the spinach mixture and cheese among the breasts, cheating the components toward the top of the chicken. Wrap one end of the chicken around the mix and roll tightly, as if making a burrito. Secure the ends with toothpicks.
5. Combine the eggs in a shallow bowl. Mix the bread crumbs on a plate with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken first in the eggs, then in the crumbs, making sure they're fully coated.
6. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook on all sides until the crust is golden brown and the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes.

Eat This Tip

Step-by-step on stuffing chicken:

Why waste cash on overpriced pre-stuffed chicken at the supermarket when you can do better in minutes at home? Here's how.

Step 1: Cover with plastic wrap and pound until thin.
Step 2: Place your filling toward the top of the meat.
Step 3: Roll tightly like a sleeping bag; secure.

This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!