pepper jack spinach stuffed chicken

Hey guys! We’re super stoked to share one of new favorite recipes with you today: Pepper Jack Spinach Stuffed Chicken! We figured it was pretty wholesome, after that whole eat-all-the-things-and-pretend-it-didn’t-happen thing we may or may not have fallen ‘victim’ to, over the holidays.

Food is evil.

Also, we like to assign blame to inanimate objects.

This is a great little dish we made for friends over the New Year, and is perfect for a party with a full on meal, or even sliced a-la appetizer mode as a finger food. We thought we’d share it here with you!

For the pepper jack spinach stuffed chicken: {photo above shown with side ingredients-recipe for sides below}

• chicken fillets  • 1 1/2 slices of pepper jack cheese per piece of chicken • spinach • organic salsa • blend of dry herbs • extra virgin light olive oil • butchers twine

Start by cutting 4-5 pieces of string for each piece of chicken. You’ll need the string to be long enough to tie around the chicken and can always trim off the excess.

If your chicken isn’t filleted, you will want to fillet it. Then, place your chicken in a gallon zip lock bag (2 per bag) and beat it flat with a kitchen mallet or a good ole fashioned carpenter mallet {or anything you can take a whack at it with}.

The goal is to simply flatten the piece out and make it easier to roll.

Once it has been flattened, crumble your cheese on top of it, and shred some spinach to place on top as well. Then cover with about 2-3 tpsb of salsa.

Now simply roll the chicken. this might be the hardest part because you want to make sure to keep everything in, closing up any holes where the cheese could leak out while being grilled. We like to start with tying it in the center and then work our way out.

You also may want to fold the ends over on themselves to help secure all the ingredients.

Next, pour a 2-3 tbsp extra virgin light olive oil over the chicken and make sure it’s spread to the bottom of the piece. This will help lock in the moisture and flavor.

Then sprinkle with the herb mix. (You can buy this pre-mixed at the local grocery.)

We placed them on our {STOK} grill to cook at 375 for about 20 mins. The cooking rotation is important in preventing the  cheese from all cooking out.

On the top rack of the grill, we first cooked them with the open side down for 5 minutes, then the remaining 15 minutes with the open side face up.

Helpful Hint: If you can, move the chicken to one side for the grill for the final 5 minutes and turn the burners off on that side. You can compensate for the heat by turning the burners up on the side where there is no chicken.

Once they are cooked, cut the string and dig in.

We served them up with these fun sides… and you can start these before the chicken is grilled. For the fresh veggies and peppers:

• green bell pepper • red bell pepper • yellow bell pepper • sweet onion • squash • dry herb mix

Simply cut everything into slices, place in a large wok or frying pan add about 1-2 Tbsp of extra virgin light olive oil and sprinkle with a dry herb mix. Cook them on a medium heat until they cook to the tenderness you prefer. (For softer veggies cover the pan to create a steaming effect.)

For the greens:

• bag of fresh turnip greens • beef bullion cubes • black pepper

Place a large pot, half full of water on the stove to boil. Add bullion cubes {4-8 to taste} and {1 – 2 Tbsp to taste} of black pepper. Once it comes to a boil, pour in a bag of fresh turnip greens.

Allow to boil for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Stir occasionally.

And there you have it! A meal packed with flavor and veggies, sure to be a crowd pleaser {or just a you-pleaser if it’s what you’re craving.}

As always, let us know if you try it!

We’d love to hear + Happy cooking!