Chicken Scallops With Spinach And Blue Cheese

Wilted fresh spinach with a little olive oil has lots of flavor to complement the blue cheese and pine nuts. Most of the work can be done ahead of time and the dish completed in the oven just before serving.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  lbs  fresh  Baby Spinach, stemmed,washed,and drained,but not dried
•  salt and pepper, to taste
• 6  chicken breast halves, pounded into cutlets
• 3  tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 3  ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Pour half the olive oil into a very large frying pan to film the bottom.
3. Over low heat, gradually add the spinach by handfuls, cover, and stir from time to time as it cooks down.
4. When all the spinach is barely wilted, put it in a sieve and press out most of the moisture.
5. Spread the spinach in a wide, shallow ovenproof dish and set aside.
6. Salt and pepper the chicken cutlets on both sides.
7. Add the remaining oil to the pan and over medium-high heat saute the chicken, turning to color it golden on both sides.
8. When the chicken is done, lay the cutlets on the spinach.
9. In a small bowl, mix together the pine nuts and blue cheese.
10. Scatter this mixture over the chicken (This much can be done ahead).
11. Bake the chicken until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the chicken and spinach are piping hot, about 15 minutes.
12. Serve at once.