Carly's Chicken Bella Gusto

"One of the very nicest things about life, is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

-Luciano Pavarotti & William Wright
Pavarotti, My Own Story

On my sidebar it says that, among other joys in my life, cooking is a passion for me, and Italian cooking is a specialty of mine. I like cooking, and concocting my own recipes is my favorite way to enjoy food. More so then even eating the food, I enjoy making the food. Taking all those fresh ingredients, and putting them into something delicious makes me feel like a success. Hey, I will take my successes where I can get them! LOL. Last night, in an effort to chase the blues away, I decided to make a new chicken recipe. I wasn't sure what I wanted to call it, but after I tasted it I chose simply... Carly's Chicken Bella Gusto, which means, Chicken Beautiful Taste. There are similar recipes out there, I am sure, but I put a few specific touches to it that makes it uniquely mine. :)

Carly's Chicken Bella Gusto

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (trimmed of fat)
1 jar Classico Cabernet Marinara sauce
3-4 cups, frozen chopped spinach
2 cups marinated, julienned cut sun dried tomatoes
2 cups chopped French Feta cheese
1 0z. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375. Spray a medium sized baking dish with cooking spray. On a cutting board, lay open chicken breasts, and pound out to 1/14 inch thickness, and brush lightly with butter. Divide the spinach among the 4 chicken breasts, followed by the sun dried tomatoes and the feta cheese. Secure with tooth picks, and bake for 35 minutes in the oven. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. If it registers at least 140 degrees. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, return to oven and cook and additional 35 minutes, or when the temperature reaches 185 degrees and is no longer pink inside. Oven cooking times vary, so watch it carefully to avoid overcooking. Chicken is done when it reaches 185 degrees.

Enjoy.

-OndineMonet
Carly's Chicken Bella Gusto
Berkeley, California
September 25th, 2008
Evening