0026. Cajun Chicken stuffed with spinach & cheese

**If you have little ones eating this or your spice tolerance is fairly low, halve the Cajun seasoning and double the breadcrumbs. Also, try substituting some of your favorite vegetables in place of the spinach. Some of my favorites include broccoli (parboiled before stuffing in the chicken) and crunchy chopped celery.

Ingredients:
Serves 4


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

· 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

· 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (you can use up to 6 oz)

· 1 c frozen spinach, thawed and drained (you can also use fresh cooked spinach)

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

· 1 tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)

· Sea salt, to taste

· Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

· Lots of toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.

Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.

Spoon about 1/4 c of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks. I typically use about 8 toothpicks in each roll to ensure none of the filling seeps out. Be sure to count how many total toothpicks were used.

Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken (optional).

Place the chicken seam-side down onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the toothpicks before serving. Count to make sure you have removed every last toothpick.