Italian Baked Chicken Thighs

Description

These chicken thighs with added veggies and dry Italian salad dressing served with crusty bread make a complete meal. Serve over pasta, rice, egg noodles, or potatoes.

Ingredients

  • ½ tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 4 ounces Neufchatel cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons creamy basil and ricotta pesto (such as Barilla®)
  • 1 tablespoon dry Italian salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons®)
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 cup tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 slices mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a skillet and cook onion until soft and translucent
  2. about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Combine Neufchatel cheese
  5. chicken broth
  6. pesto
  7. dry Italian salad dressing
  8. garlic powder
  9. black pepper
  10. Italian seasoning
  11. and red pepper flakes in a bowl and beat using an electric mixer until well combined. Stir in spinach and sauteed onions. Gently fold in tomatoes and basil. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish.
  12. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of spinach mixture in the dish.
  13. Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear
  14. 20 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
  15. Remove chicken from casserole dish
  16. top with mozzarella cheese
  17. and microwave until cheese is melted
  18. about 1 minute. Serve chicken topped with spinach mixture.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 4

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