pasta roma & feta stuffed chicken.

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pasta roma with feta & spinach stuffed chicken breasts

serves four

ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts (4 oz each)
  • 1/2 cup spinach artichoke hummus (i used sabra brand)
  • 10 ounces fat free feta (separated into 4 ounce and 6 ounce portions)
  • ~1.5 cups fresh spinach
  • 8 ounces whole wheat thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
  • 4 TB basil pesto (fresh or bottled)
  • 1 TB minced garlic (fresh or bottled)
  • 3-4 firm roma tomatoes
  • salt & pepper, to taste

split two chicken breasts to prepare them for stuffing. smear 2 TB of hummus into the pocket of the chicken breast.

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next, put 1 ounce of feta on top of the hummus.

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finally, stuff the chicken breasts with spinach.IMG_0102_thumb

secure the breasts with toothpicks. they should be bursting at the seams!

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heat a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  after seasoning the chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper, seared them for about 1 minute on each side.

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flip!

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remove the breasts from the pan and place them in an oven-safe dish.  bake them (uncovered) for about 20 minutes @ 350 degrees, flipping the breasts halfway through.

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while your chicken is baking, prepare the pasta roma.

boil the pasta to al dente and then combine it with your pesto and minced garlic.

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dice your tomatoes.

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toss the tomatoes with the pasta, along with 6 ounces of fat free feta

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and that, my friends, is pasta roma. i used to work at a cafe that served a similar dish, which is where i pulled my inspiration from for this pasta.  i sure loved being a waitress!

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when the chicken breasts are no longer pink, take them out of the oven and admire the ooze.

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oozing with flavor.

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serve portion of pasta alongside a stuffed chicken breast.

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this was DEEELICIOUS.  the pasta was definitely garlicky to the max.  i can still taste it, three hours later.  anyone have an altoid?

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the chicken was moist on the inside, crisp on the outside (thanks to the searing) and the stuffing was full of delicious flavors.  the feta melted and melded with the hummus and spinach. definitely a winner.

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yum.

enjoy!

nutritional info for one chicken breast and 1/4 of the pasta: 500 calories, 10g fat, 44g carbs, 53g protein, 6g fiber.

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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

thehungryartist October 26, 2010 at 7:43 pm

Oh my gosh, great recipe!!!

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Maren December 1, 2010 at 2:58 pm

Thanks for the recipe! Here’s tonight’s dinner!

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mary (what's cookin' with mary) January 18, 2011 at 5:21 pm

Making a meals and moves inspired stuffed chicken breast as soon as I finish typing this :D Mine will have hummus, spinach, habanero jack and fresh garlic…. Can’t wait to see how they come out!

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mary (what's cookin' with mary) January 18, 2011 at 7:16 pm

**UPDATE** Just finished eating… YUUUUM! Nice work MissJ!!

I kinda made it my own a little by adding some fresh garlic inside and then deglazing the pan with a little La Cremma and lemon juice before snapping it into the oven. SO GOOD! Thanks for the recipe.

Also, I made this with roasted b-nut squash and a garden salad… took me 44 min from start to fork entering mouth!! :D

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Denice January 21, 2011 at 12:44 am

Yum!! I didn’t have any feta, but I used diced mushrooms, hummas and spinach and it was the BEST chicken I have had in months! So yummy, great idea!

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Amberlyn August 15, 2011 at 11:34 pm

OHHH MYYYY WOW!!!! THIS WAS AMAZING !!! I MADE IT LAST NIGHT AND MY BOYFRIEND ATE IT FOR BREAKFAST TOO! I DID IT STEP BY STEP & CAME OUT PERFECT!!!

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janetha @ meals & moves August 16, 2011 at 12:42 pm

Ha! Marshall and I love love loved this comment last night! Thank you!!

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Elaine January 7, 2012 at 1:27 am

about how long do they sit in the oven for?

this looks absolutely delicious!!

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Elaine January 7, 2012 at 1:28 am

ummm, never mind, i just saw it :-)

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Sara February 20, 2012 at 2:28 pm

Hey lady. I pinned this a few weeks ago and am finally getting around to making it tomorrow night. I could have swore there was nutritional info with it, but maybe I was wrong. If there is somewhere and I’m missing it, can you send it to me? thanks!

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Janetha February 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm

Hmmm, nope, not on this one! But I calculate everything using TheDailyPlate.com :)

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Janetha February 20, 2012 at 2:43 pm

Just calculated it for you! nutritional info for one chicken breast and 1/4 of the pasta: 500 calories, 10g fat, 44g carbs, 53g protein, 6g fiber.

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Sara February 20, 2012 at 3:05 pm

You’re seriously the best. Thank you so much! I really appreciate you going to all that trouble for me :) I can’t wait to house this tomorrow!

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