Chicken stuffed with spinach, red peppers delicious

Aug. 17—My husband and I watched Valerie Bertinelli cook this chicken dish on the Food Network this past weekend. Charlie thought it was something he could prep in the afternoon when I was at work, then we'd cook it together.

This does not disappoint.

We halved the recipe, using two breasts and half of the filling ingredients, but cooked the full amount of pan sauce. Yum.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

4 (8-ounce) chicken breasts

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, grated or chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice each breast through the middle horizontally, then open each breast up like a book. Place between plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to 1/2-inch thick. Spoon equal portions of spinach mixture onto the center of each breast. Roll up tightly and secure with kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add roll-ups and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Place skillet in oven and cook at 425 degrees until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 degrees, another 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan.

Add shallots to pan and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth; boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter.

Discard twine. Slice chicken into 1-inch rounds. Serve with pan sauce.

ginna.parsons@djournal.com