Description
A vibrant and hearty spinach, ricotta, and chicken traybake featuring tender chicken breasts stuffed with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling, topped with golden breadcrumbs, and served alongside a medley of roasted courgettes, peppers, red onions, and cherry tomatoes infused with roasted garlic and lemon juice. This one-pan meal is easy to prepare and perfect for a wholesome dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Filling
- 3 bags baby spinach
- 4 tbsp ricotta
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- A few grinds of nutmeg
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs, seasoned
Vegetables
- 3 courgettes, cut into batons
- 2 peppers, sliced
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges, roots intact
- 250g vine cherry tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Wilt the Spinach: Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the baby spinach in a large colander and pour over 1-2 kettles of boiling water to wilt the leaves. Allow the spinach to drain for a few minutes, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible to prevent sogginess in the filling. Chop the wilted spinach finely.
- Prepare the Ricotta Mixture: Transfer the chopped spinach to a bowl and beat in the ricotta, lemon zest, nutmeg, and plenty of seasoning (salt and pepper) until well combined, creating a creamy and flavorful filling.
- Stuff the Chicken Breasts: Using a sharp knife, cut a slit along the side of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Using your fingers, carefully open the pocket and spoon the spinach and ricotta mixture evenly into each breast.
- Prepare Chicken for Baking: Rub the stuffed chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then press the seasoned fresh breadcrumbs evenly on top of each breast to create a crunchy topping. Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting tin.
- Prepare the Vegetables: On a separate baking tray, toss the courgette batons, sliced peppers, red onion wedges (with roots intact), cherry tomatoes, and whole garlic cloves with the remaining olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Roast Chicken and Vegetables: Place both trays in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking, stir the vegetables to ensure even roasting. Continue baking until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 75°C/165°F) and the breadcrumb topping is golden and crisp.
- Prepare the Garlic Lemon Sauce: Once cooked, remove the garlic cloves from the roasted vegetables and mash them with the lemon juice extracted earlier. Stir this mashed garlic and lemon juice mixture back into the roasted vegetables to add a vibrant, tangy flavor.
- Serve: Serve the roasted vegetables alongside the stuffed chicken breasts, spooning over the garlic-lemon infused vegetable mixture for a delicious and balanced meal.
Notes
- Ensure to squeeze out as much water as possible from the wilted spinach to avoid a soggy filling.
- Using fresh seasoned breadcrumbs adds a nice crunchy texture to the chicken topping.
- The roots on the red onion wedges help them hold their shape during roasting.
- Roasted garlic adds depth and a subtle sweetness to the vegetable medley when mashed with lemon juice.
- Check chicken breasts for doneness by ensuring the juices run clear or using a meat thermometer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: spinach ricotta chicken traybake, stuffed chicken breasts, roasted vegetables, healthy chicken dinner, easy traybake recipe
