Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (about 180 g each)
• 125 g baby spinach
• 50 g feta
• 40 g plain cream cheese (full-fat)
• 1 garlic clove
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp sweet paprika + ½ tsp dried oregano
• 120 g basmati rice
• ½ lemon
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Frying pan
• Colander
• Very sharp knife
• Cocktail sticks
• Ovenproof dish
• Saucepan with lid

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Heat the frying pan over a medium heat, add the baby spinach and chopped garlic without any fat and stir for 2 minutes, until the leaves have completely wilted.
2. Tip the spinach into the colander and press it hard with the back of a spoon to squeeze out all the water, otherwise the filling will make the chicken soggy. Roughly chop it and mix with the crumbled feta, cream cheese and some pepper (no salt: the feta is already salty).
3. Butterfly the breasts: lay each breast flat and cut horizontally along the full length of the thick side, without cutting all the way through, so it opens like a book. Don't pierce the edges, or the filling will escape.
4. Spread the filling over one half of each breast, fold closed and secure with 2 or 3 cocktail sticks. Place in the dish, brush with half the oil, season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the paprika and oregano.
5. Toss the cherry tomatoes with the rest of the oil and a pinch of salt, then scatter them around the chicken. Roast for 25 minutes, until the chicken is golden and the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part.
6. Meanwhile, rinse the rice 3 times until the water is almost clear. Put it in the saucepan with 180 ml of water and a pinch of salt, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes over a very low heat. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, covered, then fluff it up with a fork.
7. Take the chicken out, cover it with foil and leave it to rest for 5 minutes so it stays juicy. Remove the cocktail sticks and cut each breast into thick slices.
8. Serve with the rice and roasted tomatoes, spooning over the cooking juices left in the dish, and squeeze the half lemon over the chicken just before eating.