Cheesey Jalapeño Stuffed Baked Chicken

This stuffed baked chicken tastes just like a jalapeño popper! The cheese off-sets the heat from the jalapeños and to leave you with a slightly spicy, super flavorful stuffed chicken breast. Don’t they just look delicious?

I love that these are baked and still have a crunchy breadcrumb topping. The trick is a very light spritz of cooking spray before baking! I also found that there is no need to toothpick the chicken together–they held together just fine on their own. This recipe takes a few extra minutes to prepare due to multiple assembly steps, but it is so worth the time! They are surprisingly filling as well; I found one and a salad to be plenty, but the serving size is 2.

One more important note: the filling is completely adaptable! I successfully replaced the cream cheese with light sour cream and non-fat Greek yogurt, and both worked great! If you are like me and never have cream cheese in your fridge, know you can use whatever you have on hand.

Cheesey Jalapeño Stuffed Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (I cooked mine in the oven!)
• 3 jalapeños, chopped (I removed the seeds for milder)
• 3 oz of light sour cream, non-fat Greek yogurt, or 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar jack (Sargento)
• 2 tbsp chopped scallions or 1 tsp onion powder
• 6-8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets, 3 oz each
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and fresh pepper
• olive oil non-stick spray

1). Preheat oven to 450F. Lightly spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

2). In a bowl, combine the chopped bacon, jalapeños, light sour cream, cheese, and scallions.

3). Mix the olive oil and lime juice together.

4). Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread 2 tablespoons of mixture on each chicken breast. Roll, dip in olive oil/lime mixture, then in bread crumbs. Lay seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with other chicken breasts. Before putting the dish in the oven, lightly spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.

5). Bake for 22-25 minutes in the oven.

Servings: 4 (assuming you have 8 chicken cutlets) Nutritional Information for 2 stuffed chicken breasts: Calories: 371 Fat: 17.5g Carbs: 11g Protein: 42.7g Fiber: 1.5g Sugar: 0.6g

WW+: 9 Old Points: 9

Recipe adapted from: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/04/cheesy-jalapeno-popper-baked-stuffed.html 

 

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Baked Penne with Spinach and Turkey Sausage

Fresh spinach and turkey sausage are mixed with whole wheat penne and marinara sauce, then topped with low-fat cheese. YUM! This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes, and I’m sure your family will love it too. Admittedly, this is probably not the healthiest recipe I’ve ever posted, but it is much lower in fat than a traditional baked ziti. I like to load this up with as much fresh spinach as I possibly can. You don’t really taste it much and it helps boost the nutritional profile of the dish. Overall, this baked penne is filling and delicious!!

Added bonus: you can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the turkey sausage.

Baked Penne with Spinach and Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:

• 1 box whole wheat penne
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Fresh spinach roughly chopped-at least 8 oz but up to 16oz. (May substitute chopped frozen spinach)
• 1 lb mild turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 16 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I used Prego’s Roasted Garlic and Herb)
• 1/4 cup reduced fat grated parmesan
• 8 oz fat free ricotta cheese
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded par-skim mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add penne and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

2) Preheat oven to 350F, Spray a 9 x13 pan with cooking spray.

2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook thoroughly, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller chunks. When sausage is cooked, add chopped spinach and cook until wilted.

4). Pour marinara sauce over pasta. Add spinach/sausage mixture. Add half the mozzarella, and all of the ricotta cheese and parmesan. Pour pasta mixture into baking dish and top with remaining half of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 12. Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 303 Fat: 10g Carbs: 33g Protein: 23g Fiber: 5.5g

Recipe courtesy of Audrey’s Apron.