This recipe is a big favorite in my house. It seems like a lot of ingredients and work at first glance, but it really isn’t. After the first time you’ve made it you won’t even have to look at the directions and will be making up variations of your own.
2 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, 4 – 6 oz each, pounded thin
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 – 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 – 6 oz mushrooms, sliced thin
16 oz bag of spinach
1/4 to 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, placed in a strainer to drain
2 – 4 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper
1 to 1 1/2 cups Pomì Marinara Sauce (by Parmalat)
You can, of course, use any marinara sauce you like, but Pomì is Italian and way better than any other marinara sauce I’ve tried. It comes in a box and is available in many grocery stores. Pomì is gluten-free and contains no preservatives or citric acid.
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Coat the chicken in egg and then dredge through the breadcrumbs until evenly covered. Heat oil in a heavy pan and sauté chicken until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Place in the oven to finish cooking.
In another pan, hear oil and sauté garlic until translucent, add mushrooms and cook until they begin to wilt, then add spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste; add ricotta and grated parmesan and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.
While the spinach mixture is cooking, heat the marinara sauce in a separate pan.
Spoon marinara sauce onto plates. Divide spinach and place on top of the sauce, then place chicken on top of spinach. Drizzle with a little marinara sauce.
Notes:
I’ve given varying amounts of mushrooms and cheese so you can adjust the recipe to your taste and appetite.
The chicken is tasty with the breadcrumbs because you get the crunch, but sautéed chicken works beautifully too if you don’t want the extra calories, or are following a gluten free diet.
Thickly sliced grilled eggplant would be an excellent vegetarian substitute for the chicken.
