mediterranean chicken

This dish is low calorie, high protein and GUILT-FREE! Yep, I said it- go on and have seconds.

I’m excited the boyfriend has hopped on the healthy train (at least for today) and I wanted to make something high in protein and relatively lean for dinner and voila: this dish was created! Although I REALLY wanted to add cheese, I decided to leave it out and the dish was still plenty flavorful. (Plus I made a PB and J cheesecake tonight and plan on having a sliver tomorrow, so there’s my cheese). Everything in moderation. . .

I’ve had some people asking me if I food prep- the answer is yes, but not in the traditional way- meaning packing up plain BORING chicken with broccoli and rice for every meal for 7 days a week. That’s not my style. (Food snob). I felt compelled to mention this because for most of my recipes, I make an abundance of food (especially if it’s something healthy-like turkey meatballs! Great after workout protein snack!). I like to eat it for several meals, and even freeze the dish for a ready, homemade dish a few weeks later too. Coming later this week will come a post for those of you curious about my “food prepping” in a blog titled “Food Prepping for the Non-Food Prepper”. Thus- I made extra chicken tonight so I have a healthy post-work out meal tomorrow! No fuss and minimal clean-up.

So without further ado, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and start cookin!

Guilt-free Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Ingredients:

• 1  1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast. (or each breast about 3/4 lb)
• 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash “Sweet Onion and Herb” seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Mrs. dash “Rotisserie Chicken” seasoning (NOTE: substitute gluten free seasoning of your choice to make this gluten-free. DUH.)
• 1/4 c. chopped mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp chopped Kalamata olives
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 2 Tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1  1/2 c. chopped spinach

Let’s start by taking your chicken breasts, and placing them into a gallon size zip-loc bag along with the Mrs. Dash seasoning, a little salt and pepper, and a teensy dollop of olive oil. Shake that shit up.

Now, double bag it ( #sorryimnotsorry)- a plastic grocery bag is fine and you’ll want to grab your meat mallet (  again. . . and I just like saying that). Make sure when pounding the chicken out, you have a nice solid cutting board underneath. (You don’t want to damage your counter tops! I know this sounds like common sense, but some people need that extra bit of guidance-like I would when trying to change the oil in my own car.)

Now pound out your chicken as thin as you can get it, without completely pulverizing it. See the photo below. The breast on the left has been pounded out too thin and is starting to fall apart. The breast on the right is perfect.

No we’re going to make the stuffing  Toss all other ingredients (olives, sun dried tomatoes, capers, garlic  and mushrooms) in a skillet with a nip of EVOO, sans spinach- you’ll add that last.  Saute all ingredients for about 2 minutes and add the spinach. Stir until spinach is just wilted and take off heat.

Spoon the stuffing over your flattened chicky-boobs now and roll them up. I secured them with toothpicks, as you can see, but if you’re fancy they have little meat sticks or whatever they’re called if you feel the need to spend some extra money.

Now let’s throw another squirt of EVOO in the same skillet (no need to wash) and brown the chicken. I always like to brown my meat dishes before they go in the oven, if for nothing else, for PRETTY! um, duh. After slightly browned, place into shallow glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Once done, let cool and slice. Serve over your choice of grain, (I chose Couscous because it’s light and just as high in protein as quinoa or wheat berries.)

The Couscous pictured is tri-color Couscous made with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. I followed the directions on the package and added sauteed spinach, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper.

This (and most of my recipes can also be made to be gluten free). None of the ingredients listed have gluten in them to my knowledge- with the exception of Mrs. Dash which could be substituted out for a gluten-free seasoning of your choice! If you’re feeling a little frisky, add some cheese to the stuffing- I would go with feta, goats or shaved parm. However, I’m feeling really good about my meal choice tonight- like I said, no guilt! I hope all you health nuts, or those of you that are giving it some effort enjoy it too