Tonight was one of those nights where I just wanted to make dinner a little special. Candles. Wine. No smartphones allowed. Let’s plan a vacation, or talk about something we witnessed today that surprised and pleased us and why it made us happy. No housekeeping, nor logistics, nor jockeying over whose turn it is to sort the recycling.
Like date night. At home.
My husband asked me to marry him in Greece. On the island of Santorini at sunset -- my husband is a serious romantic. (If you ever get the chance to go to Santorini and see the sunset, go. It’s magnificent. You will see the Greek gods appear in the streaks and clouds of the sky, in the roiling of the waters, in the muscular crags of the rock formations, and you will understand the genesis of the whole mythology.) Anything that reminds us of Greece will automatically make us both reminisce about those sunsets. When I saw both spinach and feta cheese in the fridge, I smiled. It was an auspicious staring point.
Nights like this I want a recipe that is easy enough to fit into a weeknight, but dressy enough for company. Stuffed chicken breasts fit the bill. Why not make a classic spanakopita filling for a baked chicken breast? Add a little breading, and we’ve got a nice dressy weeknight dinner. I usually like to serve wilted greens or a fresh bright salad alongside the richness of a breaded stuffed chicken breast, but I’d put my greens inside. What to do? A pint of mixed grape tomatoes caught my eye, red and yellow, and almost purplish in their plastic basket. Few things can put the sun in your mouth like a ripe tomato. I rummaged around and found some kalamata olives, some scallions…This was going to turn into a beautiful and yummy meal.
Here’s what I did:
I sautéed some shallots and spinach in a pan. I turned off the heat and crumbled in a little feta.
I took two chicken breasts and butterflied each, placed them between two sheets of cling wrap and pounded them to about 1/4” thin and seasoned them with salt and pepper. (Butterflying is a fancy term for cut almost in half but not quite. A chicken breast fits neatly under the palm of your hand. Place one palm firmly atop the chicken beast. Take a sharp knife and slice into the chicken breast breast sideways, parallel to your hand. Cut until you are all but 1/4” to 1/2” though the breast. Flip it open and you will notice it looks like two wings of a butterfly. Look at that, you just “butterflied” a chicken breast.)
I placed each breast between two sheets of cling wrap and pounded it thin. (I used a mallet. A rolling pin or a heavy pot work as well.)
I divided the filling between the two breasts and rolled them up lengthwise.
I put some flour on one plate, some breadcrumbs on another, and beat an egg in a bowl. I dipped each roll first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs. I placed them in a pan with a little olive oil and sprinkled a little more oil on top.
I placed the pan in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, I cut the tomatoes in half and put them in a bowl. I cut the olives in half and added them to the bowl. I thinly sliced a scallion and added that to the mix. I seasoned the lot with salt and pepper, and made a dressing from olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I put it on a plate and opened some wine.
Date night.
On a Tuesday.
Excellent.
P.S. I think our next vacation might be in Portugal.
CHICKEN SPANAKOPITA
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 shallot
- 3 c. washed spinach
- 1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 c. flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and thinly slice shallot. Cook in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add spinach and sauté until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Mix feta into spinach mixture. Butterfly two chicken breasts and pound them to 1/4” thin between two sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Divide filling between chicken breasts and roll up lengthwise. Beat egg in a medium bowl. Dip each roll first in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Place in an oiled baking pan seam side down. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes.
TOMATO AND OLIVE SALAD
- 2 c. grape tomatoes
- 1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives
- 1 scallion
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- salt & pepper
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Cut olives in half lengthwise. Thinly slice scallions. Place all three in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk oil and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour over salad and toss.