A little bit retro, a whole lot yum! For all of you who have eaten the ever popular hasselback potatoes of yesteryear, you will no doubt fall in love with this chicken breast spin.
By MELBA
Here is an incredibly simple recipe that definitely looks more impressive than the effort required to make it.
Who could ask for more than a succulent chicken breast with bursts of colourful flavours adorning its back. In this recipe I have used spinach, cheese and spanish salami to add both the pops of colour but also bring some punches of flavour. This recipe does however lend itself well to topping the chicken with whatever tasty morsels you have on hand…blue cheese, rocket (arugula), jalapenos, proscuito…the world is your oyster!
Give this recipe a go and then experiment to your hearts content and team it with your favourite seasonal vegetables or vibrant salad. Make sure to drizzle the pan juices and any melted cheesy goodness over the hasselback chicken when you plate up and take advantage of the ease of cooking this in a sheet pan that you pretty much don’t even have to keep an eye on and cook extra for the next days lunchbox.
INGREDIENTS
4 Skinless chicken breasts
120g Mozzarella or cheddar, sliced thinly
2 Medium sized tomatoes, halved and sliced
30g Spinach or basil leaves (a small handful)
60g Spanish salami, sliced (about 16 thin slices that are halved again into semi-circles)
Garlic infused avocado oil (or oil of choice)
Salt and pepper to season
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 200ºC/390º
- Take the chicken breasts and cut 4 slashes into each breast widthways, about 2cm apart. Do not cut all the way through – about 2/3 of the way through only so that the chicken breasts stay intact and whole.
- Get your other ingredients lined up and ready so that you can start filling the chicken breasts like a conveyor line. Ensure that you have small slices of cheese, salami and tomato to go into each chicken breast slash along with washed leaves of spinach or basil. Now start putting one of each filling ingredients into the slashes. You may have to stuff them in there and the completed chicken breasts may look like they are bursting but don’t worry, some of the bulk is lost during the cooking process.
- Place the filled chicken breasts in greased oven tray. Ensure that the tray has sides as cooking juices and melty cheese may ooze out as the chicken cooks.
- Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and a drizzle of garlic infused avocado oil or your oil of choice (olive oil works well).
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked, the cheese is melted, and the juices run clear (not pink).
- Serve each hasselback chicken breast with a generous spoonful of the pan juices and your favourite salad greens or seasonal vegetables.
Tips:
- This dish is low carb and keto friendly but if you want to “up” the fat content, you can drizzle more oil over the top before serving or you can spread a dollop mayonnaise over each chicken breast before cooking. This will increase the fat content but will also increase the calorie amount.
- To reduce the protein count slightly, you could replace the Spanish salami with basil pesto.
Nutritional Information (per serve) | |||||
Kcal | Fat | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fibre | Net Carb |
429 | 21.8g | 52.9g | 2.2g | 0.6g | 1.6g |
