Cheesy Stuffed Tomato Chicken

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken breasts, trimmed

• 1 (16 ounce) jar marinara sauce, your favorite
• 1 cup italian vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon hot chili paste, it adds great kick (optional)
• 1/4 cup celery, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 1/4 cup mushroom, minced (5oz)
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato, Chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (or to taste) or 2 tablespoons dried cilantro (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (or to taste) or 2 tablespoons dried basil (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced or dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 (8 ounce) can of crunchy onions, crushed, bread crumbs are okay

Directions

1. 1

   Make deep horizontal slits in chicken breasts - ie pockets or envelopes. Marinade chicken breasts in italian vinegrette for about 1-2 hours, longer is okay too. Make sure to saturate the inside and outside of the chicken with marinade.

2. 2

   Chicken Filling : In a pan over medium heat with a table spoon of olive oil saute minced onion, celery, garlic & mushrooms until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Turn off heat. Add chopped cilantro, rosemary, basil and sun dried tomatoes, stir to wilt fresh ingredients, if using dried just toss in the ingredients. Then stir in cream cheese & chili paste, allow to melt thouroughly and then set aside in pan.

3. 3

   Preheat oven to 450.

4. 4

   In a deep baking dish add a thin layer of marinara sauce (keeps chicken from burning) and then sprinkle in a small handful of grated mozzarella cheese, set aside.

5. 5

   Take chicken out of marinade and let drip dry, you can toss the marinade. Use a spoon to fill the chicken pockets with sauted filling and set into the prepared baking dish. You may have leftover filling, save it. On top of the chicken sprinkle in a generous handful of crushed crunchy onions.

6. 6

   If you have leftover sautee filling stir it into the remaining marinara sauce and pour all around chicken in the baking dish.

7. 7

   Bake at 450 for about 1 1/2 hours

8. 8

   Pull baking dish out of the over and layer the remaining crushed onions and mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

9. 9

   Serve with sprinkled parmasean cheese.