Italian Style Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

Today hubby and I spent part of the day recuperating from doing yard work all day yesterday!  We ran our weekly errands and did our grocery shopping this afternoon.  Youngest son came over and had dinner with us this evening.  I made Italian Style Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Cutlets.  Essentially they were stuffed with a filling much like I used to make when I made stuffed shells.  The filling was a mixture of fresh spinach, ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, herbs and spices that I rolled up in chicken breast cutlets, dipped them in egg wash and then rolled in Italian seasoned almond flour and Parmesan "breading" and baked until done.  I served them in a little puddle of spicy marinara sauce and added another spoonful on top.  It was delicious.  As a side dish I julienned a mixture of yellow summer squash, zucchini and a carrot into long thin strips and lightly sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper and then topped with a little Parmigiano Reggiano.  It was both colorful and delicious.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as the recipe.  Enjoy!

Voila!

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM!

Fresh out of the oven

Topped with fresh mozzarella, ready to be popped back into the oven to melt

Yellow squash, zucchini and carrots ready to be sauteed

Ta-da!

Italian Style Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

INGREDIENTS:

Filling
1 6-oz bag fresh baby spinach leaves (about 3/4 cup chopped and cooked)
1 tablespoon olive oil (for sauteing spinach)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper, optional
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded (or Parmesan)

Breading
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash of cayenne pepper

Other Ingredients
6 Chicken Breast Cutlets (about 1-1/4 lbs)
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with splash of light cream, salt and pepper)
Paprika (for sprinkling on before baking
6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in strips
Olive oil spray, to coat baking dish
About 1 cup marinara sauce (to top chicken when serving), optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a medium-high non-stick skillet, put a drizzle of olive oil and quickly wilt the spinach leaves; remove to a mesh strainer and press as much liquid out as possible; place in a medium bowl and set aside to cool.  Place the cooled, well drained spinach on a cutting board and chop well; add back to bowl along with the Italian seasoning,  salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder, optional cayenne, ricotta, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano and mix well.

Mix all breading ingredients together in a shallow bowl.  In a medium bowl, make egg wash by beating an egg with a splash of light cream and pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste.

Lay chicken cutlets out on a cutting board or work area and divide the filling evenly between the cutlets, spreading the mixture evenly on top of the cutlet; roll up lengthwise. Dredge the stuffed chicken bundles in the egg wash and then roll in the seasoned almond flour crumbs and place in a baking pan or dish (seam side down) that has been sprayed or coated with olive oil.  Lightly sprinkle the tops of the breaded cutlets with paprika.  Bake at 375 F degrees for about 30 minutes or until done.  Remove from oven and lay strips of fresh mozzarella on top of cooked stuffed chicken bundles and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  Let cool about 5-7 minutes to allow cheeses to set.  Serve topped with a spoonful of marinara sauce, if desired.