Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

This is one of those meals you make when you want to impress someone but you don't want something so complicated that you're in the kitchen for hours on end.  The only trade-off with this dish, is that the leftovers don't reheat that well.  I do realize I am probably just picky about this, but when the main ingredient in a meal is a meat that is meant to be juicy, leftovers warmed up usually tend it to dry out a bit more.  Therefore this recipe is written for two breasts because it is one of the few that I usually try not to have leftovers.  This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled based on how many you servings you want.  As it is written, this would serve four with each serving being one half of the breast.

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts, evenly sized

1 small potato, 3-4oz, thinly sliced

2 Tbs cheese, I used a mixture of Parmesan and Mozzarella

1.5 oz cooked spinach

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 egg

2 tbs water

1/2 breadcrumbs or Panko, more as needed

1 Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce

Directions

The first step is pounding your chicken breasts.  The goal is to get the chicken breast as even in thickness as possible so that the breasts cook as evenly as possible.

Next you butterfly your chicken breasts, once again, trying to slice it as evenly down the middle as possible.

Set up your station in a line so that it is easy to move from one step to the next.  Place the butterflied chicken breasts on the far right, next to it beat the eggs and water in a large bowl, to the right of the egg mixture place your plate of breadcrumbs.

Gather all of your stuffing ingredients. 

Heat about 2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet.

On one half of the chicken, layer the spinach potatoes, garlic, and cheese.

Fold the chicken breast back over to cover all of the toppings.

Drench the chicken breasts in the egg mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs.

Carefully brown your chicken on each side.  I've found that the easiest way to do this is to work with one at a time, and using tongs instead of a spatula. 

Spread about a half a cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of your baking dish.

Place each chicken breast in the baking dish on top of the marinara sauce.  If I have any grape tomatoes on hand I usually split them in half and place in the dish with the chicken to make a yummy addition.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches 157-160 degree's.

Remove from oven and cover with foil.


Let rest about 5-7 minutes before serving.  This step is crucial.  During this time the chicken will finish cooking; you will notice that the internal temperature will rise to 165 degrees.  Also the resting time will allow the chicken to soak more of the juices in the pan, vs cutting into it right away and all the juices from the chicken spill out into the pan and the chicken becomes dry really quickly.

Serve with pasta mixed with the rest of the marinara sauce.

Amanda's Tips:
This recipe can be varied to fit your tastes however you would like.  Another stuffing combination that I really like is spinach, marinara, pepperoni, mushrooms and red onion.  Don't be afraid of trying the potato.  I was when Raymond suggested it the first time I made him stuffed chicken, but the starches in the potato actually help the chicken to stay moist.