Spinach, ricotta & chicken traybake

Spinach, ricotta & chicken traybake

By Good Food
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(37 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 30 mins

Easy

Serves 4
This healthy chicken dinner comes with roasted peppers, courgettes, onions and tomatoes - four of your recommended 5-a-day

Nutrition and extra info

  • Healthy

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal348
  • fat11g
  • saturates3g
  • carbs24g
  • sugars9g
  • fibre6g
  • protein39g
  • salt0.8g
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Ingredients

  • 3 x bags baby spinach
  • 4 tbsp ricotta
    Ricotta

    Ricotta

    ree-cot-a

    Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from whey and traditionally a by-product of…

  • zest and juice 1 lemon
    Lemon

    Lemon

    le-mon

    Oval in shape with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile…

  • a few grinds of nutmeg
    Nutmeg

    Nutmeg

    nut-meg

    One of the most useful of spices for both sweet and savoury…

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 50g fresh breadcrumb, seasoned
  • 3 courgettes, cut into batons
    Courgette

    Courgette

    corr-zjet

    The courgette is a variety of cucurbit, which means it's from the same family as cucumber,…

  • 2 peppers, sliced
    Peppers

    Pepper

    pep-iz

    Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and…

  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges, roots intact
  • 250g vine cherry tomato
  • 4 garlic cloves

Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over 1-2 kettles of boiling water to wilt. Allow to drain for a few mins, then squeeze out as much excess water as possible. Chop, put in a bowl and beat in the ricotta, lemon zest, nutmeg and plenty of seasoning.

  2. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast and use your fingers to make a little pocket. Spoon the mixture into the 4 breasts. Rub with 2 tsp of the oil and press the breadcrumbs on top, then arrange the chicken in a roasting tin.

  3. Put the vegetables on another tray and drizzle with the remaining oil, and season well. Bake the chicken and veg for around 30 mins, stirring the veg once. Remove when the chicken is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden.

  4. Remove the softened garlic from the vegetables and mash it with the lemon juice, then stir this with the roasted veg and serve with the chicken.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Bungly
3rd Jan, 2018
4.05
This was very tasty. I didn't read the recipe properly and added the lemon juice to the stuffing but it was fine. I will definitely make this again - the whole family liked it.
lyvia972
29th May, 2017
5.05
Delicious recipe, the stuffing really made the dish special. I didn't like the breadcrumbs that much but I didn't use fresh ones so next time I will definitely follow the recipe on that. The veggies were lovely and the final garlicky-lemony touch was a great addition. I added some thyme sprigs to the roasted vegetables when cooking for extra herby flavour. I will definitely make it again and do recommend it.
ellasedman
30th Oct, 2015
5.05
Best recipe I've found on goodfood! I made the chicken with a couscous side instead of the veg which worked well. Chicken prep was easy, cooking time was perfect and the taste was fantastic. Will be using again soon!
jule955
11th Jan, 2015
Very nice. The lemon juice in the veg really makes a difference. I found the filling slightly bland though; I'll try adding a bit of goat's cheese next time.
suebisy
7th Jan, 2015
4.05
Very easy to make, and tasted very nice. I used 1.5 100g bags of spinach (I was halving recipe) and found this made too much stuffing, so I will reduce next time. Veg lovely. I roasted two extra breasts, as I was going to try out the Spicy chicken salad with broccoli, a couple of days later, and just wanted to recommend you all try that dish as well, even easier, and even more tasty ....................
lesnavich
22nd Sep, 2014
This was delicious, easier to make than it sounded. I added crème fraiche to the spinach instead of the ricotta. Loved the lemony vegetables.
olga.saartok
21st Aug, 2014
5.05
very tasty meal, very much enjoyed it. easy to make as well.
karenjohnson23
30th Jul, 2014
3.05
The chicken was delicious and the vegetables were delicious, however the two did not compliment each other. The vegetables would have been better served with a dark meat and the chicken better served with pasta or french fries. On the other hand the recipe was low calorie and yet filling. I found the chicken breast rather bulky once filled with the spinach and ricotta, so I left the opening at the top and scattered the breadcrumbs over the filling.
Frantic Flapjack
11th Feb, 2014
4.05
This made a really good meal. The vegetables were lovely. I also served with mustard mashed potatoes.
jes_668
30th Jan, 2014
Good for a weekday meal

Pages

naomi_joy10
10th Feb, 2014
Would you be able to use frozen spinach instead? I have a load of that but not fresh
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
21st Feb, 2014
Hi there, thanks for your question. Yes, frozen spinach works really well in this recipe. Just defrost it, then squeeze out all the water you can before using as directed above. Best wishes, BBC Good Food team
Frantic Flapjack
11th Feb, 2014
4.05
I would say frozen spinach would be fine to use but defrost it first before you use it in the chicken.
homegirl11
24th Nov, 2019
The filling needs seasoning *really* well to counteract the blandness.
b_w345
14th Mar, 2017
5.05
Delicious! If like me you don't have a blender, panko breadcrumbs work great! Just oil them and use them as you would fresh.
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