Chicken Stuffed with Spinach & Ricotta Cheese

After last week's Chicken Parm, Jared mentioned that he was interested in trying a stuffed chicken dish. So, I looked around for some recipes and found a chicken stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese. The recipe I found last week, unfortunately was not the recipe I used tonight because I could not find that recipe anymore. :( So, I found one that was a bit more detailed, required bacon (which we did not have), so we had to modify the dish a bit. After prepping the chicken, I realized that the chicken did not really need a side dish.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (10 ounce) bag washed fresh spinach (we used a box of frozen spinach, thawed)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices thick sliced bacon (we omitted this ingredient)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until it begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Quickly stir in spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, and set aside to cool.
3) Slice through the chicken breast horizontally to within 1/2 inch of one long edge, then open the meat like a book. Place each opened chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch. (I did not flatten the chicken).
4) Stir the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and onion powder into the cooked spinach until blended. Evenly divide this mixture among the chicken breasts, then roll each into an oblong shape, like a burrito, tucking in the ends. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Wrap each breast with 2 strips of bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Place into the prepared pan.
5) Bake in preheated oven until the bacon is brown and crispy, and the chicken is no longer pink, 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: B+
Jared thought the top part of the chicken was dry....which was a result of omitting bacon. The spinach and cheese mixture had a nice flavor, and the garlic was prominent.

Wife Rating: B+
I had high hopes for this meal and I was somewhat let down. I enjoyed the spinach and cheese mixture, but the chicken was just ok. I agree with Jared -- it was a bit dry on top.

Although the dinner was just ok...I will attempt to make another stuffed chicken in the future.