Smothered Chicken with Creamed Spinach, Bacon and Mushrooms
Baked chicken breasts topped with creamy garlic spinach, crispy bacon, caramelised mushrooms and melted cheese.
Ingredients
- 15g butter
- 680g skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 4 small or 2 large breasts, halved)
- Salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 15ml vegetable oil
- 280g fresh spinach
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 160ml single cream
- 150g mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 15ml vegetable oil
- 115g mushrooms, sliced
- 4 rashers bacon, cooked and chopped
- 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese (or Monterey Jack with jalapeños)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas mark 5) and use the butter to grease a 33 x 23cm baking dish.
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, lemon pepper seasoning and paprika, then place flat-side down in the prepared dish.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until partly cooked.
- For the creamed spinach, heat 15ml of the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach, cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted and heated through.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the garlic and single cream, and bring to the boil.
- Add the mozzarella and stir vigorously over a high heat until it begins to melt, about 30 seconds, then reduce to a simmer and stir until smooth and creamy. Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.
- For the mushrooms, heat the remaining 15ml of vegetable oil in a separate frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes until they begin to caramelise - avoid salting them so they caramelise properly.
- Remove the partly cooked chicken from the oven and top each breast with an even layer of creamed spinach, followed by the chopped bacon and caramelised mushrooms.
- Lay a slice of cheese over each breast, then return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with no pink remaining and the juices run clear.
- Optionally, grill for the final 2-4 minutes to brown the cheese topping, watching closely to prevent burning.