Cajun Chicken Stuffed With Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

This is my very favorite way to prepare chicken breasts!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp breadcrumbs (I use Italian style)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lots of toothpicks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Flatten the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.

4. Combine the Cajun seasoning and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.

5. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast tightly and fasten the seams with several toothpicks. This part requires a tiny bit of skill and I typically use about 8 toothpicks in each roll to ensure none of the filling seeps out. Be sure to count how many total toothpicks were used, because you'll be glad at the end that you did!

6. Brush each chicken breast with the olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top of chicken.

7. Place the chicken seam-side up onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

8. Remove the toothpicks before serving. Count to make sure you have removed all of the toothpicks. Serve whole or slice into medallions.