Greek Style Spanakopita Stuffed Chicken Cutlets - Low Carb

This evening, I'm keeping a promise to my oldest son. All week long he has nudged me to get back to cooking and blogging because he knows how much I love it. It's what I've spent so much of my time over the last 3 years doing. Cooking, creating recipes, and sharing my love of it with all of you is something that makes me happy.

As many of you know, I lost my Mom just a few short weeks ago. It was and is one of the saddest times of my life. I'm now a member of the club nobody wants to belong to. This week has been a week of "firsts" in trying to return to some sense of normal, or at least the appearance of normal on the outside because on the inside, I am still profoundly sad. I returned to work this week after being away for several weeks. I forced myself to cook twice this week. I even pulled my camera out once for the first time in almost 7 weeks to snap a few photos of one of my meals.

The meal I'm going to share with you this evening was the one I made this past Sunday evening for my oldest son when he came to have dinner, Greek Style Spanakopita Stuffed Chicken Cutlets. He told me it was one of his most favorite things I've ever made (I think he was just happy that I was cooking again). I've made something similar to this in the past but breaded it (with almond flour breading). This version includes more spinach and doesn't require any breading which makes it much easier to put together, particularly on a weeknight. It looks beautiful when sliced before serving. I've snapped a few photos below and included the recipe as well. Enjoy!

Lastly, I want to thank all of you so much for all the kind and loving comments, emails, and messages that you've sent. I've read each and every one of them; many more than once. Please bear with me as I put one foot in front of the other as I move forward. Oh, and Steven...I kept my promise to you...this post is for you.

Ready for the oven

Ready to bake

BOOM!

Greek Style Spanakopita Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients:

16-oz fresh baby spinach leaves
4 green onions (spring onions), sliced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (approximately 6 to 8 ounces)
1/4 cup PLUS 2 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided (powdery style)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided (plus additional for cooking)
6 large thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets, about 1/4-inch thick (approximately 1-1/4 pounds)
1/8 teaspoon paprika, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and quickly cook the spinach, stirring frequently, just until wilted. Transfer to a mesh strainer and press out as much liquid as possible; set aside to cool.  Add another drizzle of olive oil to the skillet and lightly saute the green onions and garlic for about 2 minutes over medium heat; set aside.  Finely chop the well drained spinach and place in a medium bowl. Add the cooked green onions and garlic, lemon zest, dill, feta, and 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan. Season mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish. Place chicken cutlets in a single layer on a cutting board or other work surface. Divide spinach mixture evenly and place in the center of each cutlet. Roll each cutlet up lengthwise and place seam side down in casserole dish. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dust lightly with optional paprika. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until chicken is done.  If more browning is desired, briefly run under the broiler for a few minutes until browned. Let cool about 5-10 minutes; slice and serve. Serves approximately 4.