Cottage Cheese Stuffed Chicken offers an easy, delicious, and light recipe featuring chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and cottage cheese, all baked to perfection in a hot and bubbly tomato sauce.
Hello, my internet pals! How goes it? And where are we at with our resolutions?! Are we keeping up? I hope so! It’s that time of year when we need to draw deeply upon our superpowers to avoid not-so-good-for-you meals and dive into healthier, lighter choices.
Here is the plan. You and I. We are for reals. You and I share things. Things like Sheet Pan Chicken Dinners, Baked Banana Chips, New Year’s resolutions, or even a talk about a recent shopping spree at Sam’s Club where I went in to pick up five items – boneless skinless chicken breasts, spinach, cottage cheese, etc., and came out with an overflowing cart. It happens every single time. But that’s okay because THIS incredible stuffed chicken dinner is what came out of it.
Ingredients
We’re going to go to our refrigerators and gather all of the delicious things to make this stuffed chicken recipe.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: Turkey breasts can be used for a similar result.
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper: A simple seasoning to enhance the overall flavor of the chicken and filling
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the spinach. Any neutral oil, like avocado or vegetable oil, can be used instead.
- Fresh Baby Spinach: Kale or swiss chard can be used, but make sure to chop it finely and adjust cooking time as needed.
- Garlic Cloves: ½ teaspoon of garlic powder can replace fresh garlic if necessary.
- Cottage Cheese: Adds creaminess and a mild tang to the stuffing. Ricotta cheese is a good alternative.
- Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: Melts beautifully, adding a gooey texture. Any other mild, meltable cheese like provolone or gouda can be used.
- Egg White: Acts as a binder for the stuffing.
- Tomato/Spaghetti Sauce: Serves as the base of the sauce, contributing a rich tomato flavor that complements the chicken and stuffing.
- Tomato Paste: Thickens and enriches the sauce, deepening the tomato flavor.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: Adds a fresh finish and a pop of color to the dish.
- Cooked Pasta: Optional—to serve the stuffed chicken with. Any pasta type works well here, but for a low-carb option, try zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- Prep. Heat your oven to 375F. Spray a baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
- Prepare the chicken. Gently flatten the chicken breasts to an even thickness, being careful not to make them too thin. Make a pocket in the side of each breast without cutting all the way through. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cook the spinach. In a nonstick skillet, warm up the olive oil. Toss in the spinach and garlic, adding a pinch of salt, and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Let the spinach mixture cool off a bit after removing it from the heat.
- Stuff. Once cooled, mix the spinach with cottage cheese, half of the mozzarella, egg white, and a bit more salt and pepper in a bowl. Stuff the chicken breasts evenly with the spinach mixture. Use toothpicks to close the pockets in the chicken breasts and place them in the baking dish.
- Make the sauce. Mix the spaghetti sauce and tomato paste in a small bowl, then pour this sauce over the chicken in the dish.
- Bake. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top, and bake for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the cheese is melted.
- Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven. Serve as is or over pasta, garnished with chopped parsley.
ENJOY!
Cottage Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch of kosher salt
- ½ cup low fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- cooked pasta, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Slightly pound each chicken breast to an even thickness – DO NOT pound it thin. Cut a pocket on the side of each chicken breast and carefully cut it open like a book – do not cut through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add spinach and garlic; season with a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes, or until wilted, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and let the spinach cool down.
- When cool enough, combine the spinach, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, egg white, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl; mix and stir until well combined.
- Evenly spoon the spinach mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Seal the chicken breasts with a toothpick and transfer to the baking dish.
- Combine the spaghetti sauce and tomato paste in a small mixing bowl; stir until well combined. Spoon sauce mixture over the chicken pieces.
- Cover the dish and bake for 25 minutes.
- Uncover and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Put back in the oven and continue to cook for 20 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
