Pine Nut Stuffed Chicken Breasts for Martha Monday

I'm linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday

This is another one of those "Chopped" Mystery Box type dinners where I had a couple of chicken breasts and decided to stuff them with ... stuff ... whatever was handy and needed to be used.

I've had a package of pine nuts in the cupboard -- I'm not even sure what I originally bought them for, but I decided it was time to use them. So I threw 1/4 cup of them dry in a small skillet and toasted them over medium heat just until they started turning golden brown and I could smell the beautiful fragrance. Just be sure to periodically swirl them around so they don't burn.

I also had a good-sized container of baby spinach that we've been sneaking into sandwiches and salads to get our greens. This sounded good. And we almost always have a big bag of grated Colby Jack cheese so ...

First, I butterflied 2 chicken breasts open, salted and peppered them, then covered with grated cheese and toasted pine nuts ...

Layered on some fresh baby spinach leaves ...

Folded them in half and secured the open edge with 2 crossed toothpicks.

I baked them for 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a glass baking dish that I had sprayed with oil and covered with aluminum foil. I pulled the foil off for the last 10 minutes to allow some browning and spooned some of the juice and melted cheese over the top when plating.

My favorite part of this dish was the toasted pine nuts. They were so tasty! And we served them with our new favorite ... roasted broccoli. You can't beat healthy and delicious!!!