Spinach Gratin Stuffed Chicken

It’s early February and you know what that means! It’s time for keto, fatty! Yes, that means Christmas cookies and Honey Walnut Shrimp are a thing of the past. So what can I possibly have for dinner if I’m not deep-frying shrimp?  Cheese-stuffed chicken breast of course! Okay, there might also be spinach involved. If you love a good spinach gratin, you simply must try this Keto Spinach Gratin Stuffed Chicken.

So how do I work on trying to not look like I’m forty-something? Snowshoeing my fat-ass off every morning of course! Which is harder said than done here in southern California. Our ski resort town is experiencing the driest winter since 2016. Finding enough snow to make it possible to strap on those snowshoes is not easy this year. Thankfully my awesome Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is oh so equipped for snowy days.

Our winter here in southern California is so dry this year that the forest service is not even bothering to close our forest dirt roads. This never happens! Usually, all the gated dirt roads are closed December first at the very latest. It’s a different kind of winter here in Big Bear Lake here in 2024. Usually in January, I would have to snowshoe three miles up forest dirt roads just to get to the most scenic spots. This year with the dirt forest roads still open and the help of four-wheel-drive-low, I can off-road to the most scenic starting points for my snowshoe adventures. It’s a nice change from what I’m used to every winter. Honestly, though I would prefer snow; Lots of snow.

After a morning of snowshoeing away my fat ass, you better bet I am creating one hell of a delicious keto dinner in our home kitchen. I’m a big fan of spinach gratin, and what could make this side dish taste even better? Stuffing it into a chicken breast of course!

WWJD? VOTE?

Here we are it’s Primary time in California. Oh boy? Are you also, like me pissed off about the politics in this country? Just who the hell can you vote for in the primaries who is not a crazy person? This is why I have to stress eat cheese and bacon!

Thankfully this is a stress-reducing dish as you get to beat your chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet while muttering to yourself… “Biden? DeSantis? TRUMP?” Feel free to take out your aggression on this poor senseless chicken cutlet while you try to come up with the best decision before casting your ballot.

Spinach Gratin Stuffed Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon bacon fat

1 shallot, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

4 sliced thin, shitake mushrooms

1 large bag of spinach, blanched, with the water, wrung out of it

1/2 cup agreed gruyere cheese

2 teaspoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

Place your chicken breasts on a cutting board with two sheets of plastic wrap on top of them. Beat them with your kitchen mallet, taking out all that anger about it being January fourteenth and you could really go for an eggnog latte, a Christmas cookie or a slice of bread right now. You want your chicken breasts to be thin so you can roll them out and stuff them.

Calm down Fatty, you can eat cheese soon!

After you are done taking out all your fat ass aggression on that chicken breast it’s time to start on your spinach gratin filling! In the bacon fat caramelize your shallots for a good ten minutes. Mix in your chopped garlic for one minute. Stir your chicken bouillon into two teaspoons of water and add that and the thyme. Mix in the spinach and the mushrooms.