ITALIAN BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS

Italian Baked Chicken Thighs image

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.

Provided by Yoly

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 45m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 16

Previous Next

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

Steps:

Melt butter in a skillet and cook onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine Neufchatel cheese, chicken broth, pesto, dry Italian salad dressing, garlic powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning, 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.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of spinach mixture in the dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 20 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Remove chicken from casserole dish, top with mozzarella cheese, and microwave until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Serve chicken topped with spinach mixture.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 388.7 calories, Carbohydrate 15.2 g, Cholesterol 109.6 mg, Fat 24.8 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 26.3 g, SaturatedFat 10.9 g, Sodium 907 mg, Sugar 3.7 g