Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

This hearty stuffed chicken recipe is easier than you'd think yet always completely impressive.

It includes vibrant Mediterranean cuisine inspired ingredients that will leave you craving more.

It's brimming with spinach and includes so many other satisfying flavors to compliment it. The feta and sun dried tomatoes are two key components here that add so much to the dish.

The chicken breasts are carved with a deep pocket in each is generously filled with this fresh, complexly flavorful mixture.

From there it's pan seared for a beautiful golden brown finish and baked off in the oven to cook it all the way through. Serve it with the little bit of drippings in the pan and if you want more just add a splash of chicken broth and a few dabs of butter for a quick, savory pan sauce.

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta 

This tomato pasta recipe is one of my go-to options for busy weeknights. Made with just one pot and a saucepan, it’s ready in just a little over 30 minutes. You really can’t go wrong. 

If you’ve never had sun-dried tomatoes in pasta, prepare to be amazed. They’re one of my favorite ways to spruce up a simple dish with a pop of color and a rich, savory, slightly smokey flavor. 

I love to include them in recipes like my sun dried tomato basil and Parmesan orzo with chicken and this spaghetti with sun dried tomatoes and spinach. However, this tomato pasta might be my favorite sun-dried tomato recipe yet. 

Made with al dente pasta tossed in a vibrant tomato sauce, it’s rich, creamy, and unbelievably satisfying. Plus, it features fresh spinach for a boost of nutrients and fiber. 

Basically, this sun dried tomato pasta has everything you could want in a homemade dinner and more. Quick to make, it’s easy enough for weeknights yet elegant enough for special occasions. It’s sure to have all of your guests coming back for more!  

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

So what is "marry me chicken" anyway? It's said that this popular chicken dish is so good your partner will be asking for a marriage proposal after tasting it. It truly will melt in your mouth!

Of course that's just an over the top statement that's just a joke, but it's name is basically saying this is one of the tastiest chicken dinner recipes you'll make. It's simply creamy sun dried tomato chicken but that title just doesn't do it justice.

It comes together quickly and doesn't require a hot oven, chicken breasts are just quickly cooked on the stove and finished with the best pan sauce.

Those sun dried tomatoes bring bold, concentrated tomato-y flavor and the cream balances it perfectly. And let's not forget to mention there's also a fair amount of garlic and parmesan included in the sauce as well to really build up layer after layer of flavor.

In other words, no more boring chicken dinners! This sun-dried tomato chicken sets the bar high.

Watch the Video!

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What Goes with Marry Me Chicken

I recommend serving this with:

• Pasta, I like it with lemon orzo or plain orzo
• White rice or risotto
• Steamed or roasted asparagus or broccoli
• Fresh rustic bread with butter or breadsticks
• Mashed potatoes

It's been far to long since I shared a salad recipe here. It seems as though I've shared every kind of salad out there but I've been missing a sun dried tomato salad.

I love those shriveled little bits of sun kissed tomatoes, they might be small but they pack a lot of exciting gourmet flavor.

They pair perfectly with this mellowly sweet and tangy balsamic dressing and the nutty quinoa and almonds.

This is the perfect side dish for dinner but it also makes a nutritious and filling lunch, with or without chicken added.

Try it! You'll love this combination of goodness!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla®. All opinions and text are mine.

Easy Vegetarian Pasta Recipe

This simple Mediterranean pasta can be ready in 30 minutes so you just can't go wrong here. We all need a collection of quick and flavorful recipes for those hectic weekdays.

For this sun dried tomato pasta recipe, I used Barilla spaghetti as it's my go-to brand of pasta. It's always such a reliable product, and it turns out perfectly every time! And it's also an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, which incorporates a variety of quality food groups that should be eaten often in reasonable quantities.

It's a delicious base to all your creative pasta creations! It's just one of those comforting foods I can never get enough of.

It's deliciously creamy, amazingly hearty and just perfectly satisfying. This is my kind of comfort food!

One Pot Pasta Recipe

I love that with this recipe you are throwing all of the ingredients into one pot. Everything goes into the Instant Pot and there's no sautéing beforehand. About 2/3 of the ingredients are added at the beginning then you'll add the remaining 1/3 at the end.

Want to see how easy this Instant Pot recipe is? Watch the video!

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Ingredients for Tuscan Chicken Pasta

• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Sun dried tomatoes in oil
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic
• Chicken breasts
• Campanelle pasta
• Baby spinach
• Light cream cheese (regular works too)
• Parmesan
• Fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

How to Make this Pasta Recipe

First you'll start by stirring together the chicken broth, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper in an instant pot insert.

Then mix in diced raw chicken and dry uncooked noodles. Cover and seal, make sure valve is set to "sealing" position. Set to "manual" and select 5 minutes.

Once time is up select "cancel" then use the quick release method to release pressure. Wait for steaming to stop from valve then open Instant Pot.

Stir in spinach, cream cheese and parmesan. Then let mixture rest for about 5 - 10 minutes.

The sauce will be very runny at first but the longer you let it rest the more it will thicken and become creamy.

Substitutes for this Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe

• Frozen thawed and drained spinach can replace fresh.
• Regular cream cheese will work in place of light.
• If you can't find campanelle pasta you could substitute another kind of bite size pasta such as cavatappi, bowtie or penne.
• Garlic powder could replace fresh, I'd go with about 3/4 tsp.
• If you don't want to buy fresh basil then use 1 tsp dried, add it along with Italian seasoning.

More Instant Pot Recipes to Try

• Instant Pot Spaghetti
• Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Tacos
• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sara Lee® Bread. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grilled Cheese

April is National Grilled Cheese Month! What better way to celebrate than this hearty grilled cheese? It's perfect for lunch or dinner. It really just makes that plain old cheddar grilled cheese sandwich seem ultra boring!

Layered together over soft cracked wheat bread is steamed fresh spinach, fresh basil, creamy ricotta, rich provolone, salty parmesan, and those rich ultra flavorful sun dried tomatoes.

Sound good yet??

This is a grilled cheese I'll want to make time and time again! I've already made it twice and can't stop thinking about it.

Spinach Salad with Chicken Sun Dried Tomato and Avocado

This salad layered with plenty of fresh baby spinach, lean grilled chicken breasts, creamy avocados, rich sun dried tomatoes, salty feta, crunchy pine nuts and it's finished with a tangy lemon herb dressing.

After one bite I realized it's been too long since I've made a grilled chicken salad.

Grilled chicken salads are the best - especially when there are avocado included!

Those sun dried tomatoes here really do pack a flavorful punch, which is why you'll only need a small amount.

Normally when I add tomatoes it's like 3 big fresh tomatoes (because I'm obsessed) but here 1/3 cup of the sun dried tomatoes will go a long way.

My husband normally hates tomatoes but he loved this salad and actually requested it again for lunch the next day. Sun dried tomatoes have such a different flavor from fresh.

Ingredients for this Spinach Salad

• Baby spinach
• Chicken breasts, grilled
• Avocado
• Sun dried tomatoes in oil
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Pine Nuts

Ingredients for the Lemon Herb Dressing

• Olive oil
• Lemon
• Red wine vinegar
• Fresh parsley
• Garlic
• Dried basil and dried oregano
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scroll below for printable recipe.

Is There a Substitute for Pine Nuts?

And you can substitute another nut here for the pine nuts - sliced or slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are a good choice (but chop them so you get more in each bite).

I love the bit of crunch the nuts add to the salad. And do feel free to add more.

How Can I Get Chicken Breasts to Brown Better?

As a side note I found the key to nicely charred chicken breast is a pinch of sugar on each side. Since they are so lean they don't tend to brown well without it.

How I Grill the Chicken for this Recipe

I also like to pound to an even thickness and season with a little garlic powder and of course salt and pepper. Oh and brush with a tiny bit of oil before adding your seasonings.

Then cook on a 425 - 450 degree preheated grill about 4 minutes per side for 8 oz. breasts (or until 165 in center).

Also you may notice it's not much dressing for 4 servings, the first time I made it with more dressing but found it to overwhelmingly oily between the dressing, oily tomatoes and avocado.

So the next time around I cut back and I think the amounts listed for the dressing are just enough.

More Salad Recipes You Might Like

• Caesar Salad
• Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing
• Caprese Chicken and Avocado Chopped Salad

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken in Skillet

You can never have too many easy chicken recipes for a quick weeknight meal! The great thing about this Skillet Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce is that it's simple enough for a weeknight meal yet it's fancy enough to serve to guests on a weekend.

It's packed with bright and delicious Italian flavors that will leaving everyone craving it and requesting it be made again and again! 

A Perfectly Delicious Sun Dried Tomato Basil Orzo Recipe!

This easy weeknight dinner is going to knock your socks off! I absolutely loved this Italian-inspired orzo dish!

I mean the title says it all -  Sun Dried Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken. And all that goodness is cooked in one large pot (or saute pan in this case. And if you are wondering what a saute pan is, it's basically just a large skillet with taller sides).