Spinach Chicken with Cream Cheese and Mozzarella
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cup spinach, rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 oz Mozzarella cheese, shredded
The marinade:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
To prepare the spinach chicken casserole: Add olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes into a Ziplock bag along with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Seal the bag and shake until mixed. Add the chicken breasts, seal, and massage so the chicken breasts are covered in the marinade, set aside for 10-15 minutes on the counter while you prep the remaining ingredients. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF Quickly wilt the spinach in a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside. Arrange chicken breasts drained from the marinade in a baking dish. Spread the softened cream cheese over the chicken breasts and lay spinach on top of the cream cheese. Finally, sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake the spinach chicken casserole for 20-30 minutes. Chicken casserole is done when cooked through to an internal temperature of 165˚F (75°C). Serve the spinach chicken casserole warm with a side of cauliflower rice, or baked veggies. Enjoy!
Tips: You can cut the chicken breasts into cubes to help the marinade coat the chicken deeper, and speed up the baking time
Freeze individual portions of the spinach chicken casserole so you have a comforting dinner for evenings when you don’t feel like cooking from scratch.
Chicken and rice casserole
for the sauce:
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or 1/2 tsp. onion powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. parsley)
(you can sub 2 cans of cream of chicken soup for the homemade sauce.)
for the casserole
1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons seasoning mix of your choice for the flavor of the casserole – my favorite was a smoked hickory southwestern seasoning
1 cup water
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
Make the sauce: combine the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch square baking dish – it really sticks to the sides. In a large bowl, combine the uncooked rice, condensed soup from step 1, 1 tablespoon seasoning, and water. Pour into prepared dish.
Arrange chicken pieces over the top and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of seasoning.
Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake for an additional 30-45 minutes or until rice and chicken are cooked through and top is slightly browned. Allow to cool for 15 minutes; shred chicken into small pieces and stir to combine with the rice. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or shredded cheese.
If rice is not cooking all the way through, you might want to just add a little extra liquid (about 1/2 cup) and keep the pan covered with foil for the entire baking time. Be aware that covering the dish helps it cook faster, while leaving it uncovered gets that nice browned texture on the chicken.
Add water or milk as you reheat it to bring it bake to its original creaminess.
