Chicken

Balsamic Chicken, Spinach, and Tomato Bake

February  4, 2014
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 3 to 4
Author Notes

So simple, so colorful, and soooo good! I had a bag of fresh spinach and a pound of defrosted boneless chicken breast in the fridge. A lovely tomato sat on the counter. In my mind, that’s a no brainer. BUT! I didn’t want to stuff the chicken, it was too cold to grill, and quite frankly, I didn’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking. All the recipes I found online just didn’t “do” it for me, so I set out to combine several of them with the parts I liked, then completely improvised from there. My family gobbled this right up, and now I have yet another easy weeknight dinner I can put into my rotation. —anotherfoodieblogger

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast(s)
  • Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb, or other seasoning, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 9 or 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan or dish with oil.
  2. Halve the chicken breast(s) lengthwise, and if needed, pound to an even thickness. Season the chicken breast with Mrs. Dash or other seasoning, to taste.
  3. Add the chicken to a 1 quart resealable plastic bag and add the balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, and baking soda. Seal the bag and squish it all around to coat, and set aside.
  4. Next, line the bottom of the baking dish with all the spinach, then drizzle the chicken broth over it. Now sprinkle the crushed red pepper, green onions and a little bit more balsamic vinegar evenly over the spinach.
  5. Place the chicken on top of spinach, then drizzle the liquid from the bag over everything. Now add the tomatoes on top, and grind black pepper over it all. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the foil, and spread the bread crumb/cheese mixture over the chicken, then lightly spray with oil. Put back in the oven and bump it up to broil for 10 minutes. You’ll end up with some extra liquid in the pan, but I don’t think I would skip the chicken broth for fear of drying out the spinach. Plus the extra liquid is great over your sides. Serve with couscous or rice of choice. Spicy, tangy, delicious!
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