SPINACH & ARTICHOKE HASSELBACK CHICKEN

Spinach and artichoke dip - classy as hell or one of Americas stranger contributions to gastronomy? It's not really for us to say, and either way round people seem to go wild for this green cheesy bundle of fun. Combine it with the world's other hack du jour, hasselbacking stuff, and in theory we're on to a winner.

Author: The Chef

Cuisine: Italian

Recipe type: Main dish

Ingredients

5 chicken breasts
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
170g/1 can drained and finely chopped artichoke hearts
170g/large handful frozen spinach, defrosted and finely chopped
220g cream cheese
80g parmesan, finely grated
100g mozzarella, grated
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the grill to the highest it'll go (250°C/500°F).
Cut parallel slices in each chicken breast, ¾ of the way down and roughly ½ cm apart.
Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix thoroughly to coat them all, working your way into the cracks.
Place in a skillet or small oven dish and grill for around 15 - 20 minutes, until nearly cooked through with a good colour on top.
Meanwhile, mix artichokes, spinach, cream cheese, parmesan, mozzarella and salt together. Spoon this mixture over the chicken, spreading it to make sure it's going to ooze down into those cracks.
Return to the oven but set it to non-grill/fan setting, 180°C/360°F. Bake for 20/30 minutes or until the chicken has fully cooked through and the cheese is all melty and nice.
Serve with chips or a salad.