We had a pretty low-key Valentine’s Day; we ate a lovely dinner and splurged with homemade lava cakes and cookie dough ice cream. We exchanged some notes and treats and called it good.

I decided to experiment with pepper stuffed chicken breasts and I’m so glad I did! They tasted great even for leftovers. We paired the chicken with some asparagus grilled with butter, lemon juice, lemon pepper, and a little bit of garlic (my favorite).

Wish I had a better photo, but I was too hungry to try!

Spinach, Pepper, and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I made about 5 servings, but ingredients can be easily altered to make more or less
Bake at 425 degrees

Ingredients:

• Boneless and skinless chicken breasts (approx. 2 lbs)
• 1 jar roasted red bell peppers – drained and diced
• Fresh spinach – several handfuls, stems removed and torn or chopped into pieces
• Parmesan Cheese – I used about 1/4-1/2 cup of the powdered type. Use any kind of the filling, but the powdered type worked great as “breading”
• Mozzarella cheese – about 3-4 ounces, shredded and divided
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning, or a combination of basil and oregano (to taste). I use my favorite oregano, basil, and tomato seasoning

Directions:

• Flatten chicken breasts until about 1/4 inch thick
• Combine diced peppers, spinach, 3-4 tbsp Parmesan cheese, 1-2 oz mozzarella cheese and seasonings to taste
• Combine about 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese and 1-2 tbsp seasonings in a separate dish

• Sprinkle seasonings mixture onto one side of chicken breast and turn over, pile in filling, leaving enough room to roll chicken up
• Place rolled chicken, seam side down, into Pirex or other oven-safe casserole dish

Before going in the oven

• Bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees
• Top with remaining mozzarella and broil for a couple of minutes, or until cheese becomes melted/crispy
• Serve with your favorite veggies and/or salad!

For dessert we made lava cakes. I use the Molten Chocolate Cake Kraft Recipe, and it’s been a reliable, go-to, delicious dessert. I sometimes use 4 ounces of chocolate chips instead of the 4 ounces of baking chocolate and nix the powdered sugar and whipped cream (because I prefer ice cream).

I was going to experiment doing it grain or gluten free, but I didn’t want to chance it. I’m sure it would be fine to replace the flour with the gluten-free baking flour mix that Bob’s Redmill sells, or even rice flour. I’m not sure about the texture using almond flour or the effect on the liquid content coconut flour would have.