Today I want to share a recipe that was inspired by my own mama’s Chicken Florentine that has all the flavor but a little bit less of the fat (you know, for you New Year’s Resolution-ers out there!). Start with a few fresh ingredients and break out the old cast iron skillet (my bestie Mary got me this one).
Ingredients
- 1 package boneless, skinless chicken tenders (or breasts, if you prefer)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- about 8 small slices of havarti cheese
- handful of fresh spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup flour
- salt & pepper, to taste
Mince spinach and garlic, and mix the two together in a small bowl. Place each chicken tender inside a plastic baggie and gently pound it flat with a meat mallet (don’t go overboard). Set aside. Place flour and salt in a shallow bowl, then egg in a separate bowl, and in the last bowl, mix the panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Now comes the fun part!
One at a time, take a piece of chicken, coat it in flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture, then place in bread crumbs. Place piece of havarti, then about 2 tsp of the spinach garlic mixture inside. Next, gently roll the chicken around the filling.
Stab with a toothpick to keep the tender together, and place in a lightly oiled skillet (you could also use any baking dish):
Continue until all tenders are used:
You can either bake right away, or refrigerate until you are ready to use. I often make dinner in the morning or afternoon while the boys are at preschool and Emil sleeps, then I can do all the dishes, clean up, and later just throw it in the oven during the busiest time of day.
When you are ready to cook, Preheat oven to 425. Bake chicken for 15 minutes, flip, and return to oven. Bake another 10 – 15 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken is. Remove from oven, take toothpicks out, and serve hot with a big spinach salad, roasted cherry tomatoes, or the old stand-by, roasted potatoes.
Sorry I couldn’t get a good picture of the plated chicken- it gets dark so early, all my pictures are awful by the time dinner is actually ready.
Enjoy!
Not only do these look delicious, but they are SO pretty!
yummmmmmmmmmm!!
This looks so yummy and fresh. But, I love your last line…my dinner pictures turn out awful also. And we eat at SIXXXXXX, which is early by most standards. I’ve honestly considered making dinner for lunch so I could snap some better shots. But, then Jason would miss out…I guess we just wait for summer!
These look beautiful. I don’t do chicken, but I’m almost wondering if I could do something similar with a sturdy fish fillet like a tilapia. And these short days are the worste for food photos. Summer so spoiled me!
I love the words ‘panko’ and ‘havarti.’ They just sound so fancy. Plus, they make me hungry. And drool just a tiny bit.
wow! those look frickin’ good!