555 FITNESS IS OUR FRIEND....A GOOD FRIEND IN FACT. SO GOOD THAT WE LOVE SHARING HEALTHY RECIPES WITH THEM. THESE RECIPES WILL FUEL YOU THROUGH ONE OF THEIR FREE FUNCTIONAL FITNESS WORKOUTS THEY PROVIDE DAILY! AND NOT ONLY DO THEY PROVIDE WORKOUTS, THEY GIVE FITNESS EQUIPMENT GRANTS TO FIREHOUSES THAT NEED IT, SO MAKE SURE YOU CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!
WE AT F&H CO. LOVE THE IDEA OF STUFFING INGREDIENTS INTO ANOTHER. ITS A CONVENIENT WAY TO GET MORE VEGETABLES INTO THE MEAL WITHOUT TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE ON THE PLATE, ITS ALSO AN EXCUSE TO USE CHEESE WHICH WE LOOOOOOVE! THIS RECIPE FOR GARLIC AND CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN COMES FROM ROB MEYER OF THE MONROE TWP. FD IN NEW JERSEY. ROB ALSO HAS A LEATHERSHOP FOR ALL THINGS LEATHER AND FIREFIGHTER RELATED, YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/RIDGEWAYLEATHERWORKS !
GARLIC AND CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN
Ingredients:
3-4 LBS. BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST (the thicker, larger breasts work well for this)
4-6 TBSP OLIVE OIL
3-4 CLOVES OF GARLIC, minced
BAG/BUNDLE OF FRESH SPINACH, washed/dried (more if you are serving 4+)
1/2 LB SMOKED GOUDA, shredded(or other cheese of choice)
SALT/PEPPER
ADOBO SEASONING
Tooth picks
SERVING SUGGESTION:
SIDE OF RICE (We used Long Grain Wild Rice)
SIDE OF VEGETABLE (We used Sugar Snap Peas)
OPTIONAL:Get the rice going first as per instructions. It should take 25 mins for non instant rice to cook.
-Preheat oven to 350*
-In a separate pan, sautee garlic in a tbsp of olive oil. Add spinach on low and sautee spinach until soft. (Dont be fooled by fresh spinach. The quantity will halve as it cooks down. We used 1 bag of spinach and found ourselves a little short for 4 firefighters (portions are slightly larger)
-Filet chicken breasts in half and pound them flat
-Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and Adobo on both sides.
-Take both the shredded (or cubed) cheese and sauteed spinach and place on top of the chicken breast. (Leave about an inch on either side of stuffed ingredients to prevent it from spilling out the end)
-Roll the stuffed chicken breast lengthwise and secure with toothpicks. I usually use about 3-4, but every now and then a monster breast requires 5. (Please remind your men/women about the approximate number of toothpicks in the chicken so they may cut it and search accordingly.
-Add some more olive oil to pan and place chicken breasts in pan. Rotate for about 5 mins to brown the outside.
-In a pyrex dish, place rice on the bottom, and then the chicken on top. Insert into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30-35 mins.
OPTIONAL: Cook vegetables within the last 10 minutes.
-In the last 5-10 minutes, add additional cheese on the top of the chicken breast to melt. If you are using smoked gouda, make sure it is shredded. As its melt characteristics are a little less desirable. Most other cheeses will melt fine as shredded or cubed, but the gouda will give you both a distinct smell in the kitchen, and taste on the plate.