Broccoli Stuffed Chicken - Childhood Memories Updated

As a kid, my mom always made dinner.  And as kids who always had home-cooked meals, we reveled when our dad was out of town and we could have things like Kids Cuisine frozen dinners, or "treat night" where we got to pick a fast food place to eat and get a late night snack.  As we got older and schedules got more hectic, my mom always wanted to make sure we were fed, and properly fed, even if we had to head to work or practice or whatever else before dinner was done.  One of our quick and inexpensive favorites (especially for my older brother) became those individually packed, breaded, broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breasts.  They were power packed with everything you could need in one neat little pouch that could be thrown in the oven while getting ready and quickly scarfed down before our events.  

I love cheese.  I love broccoli. I love breading. And best of all, so does Steve. Chaaaaching - bonus round! 

So I decided, why not recreate this simple, delicious meal and make it a staple for my family?

And so it happened, Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken. Sluuurp! 

Start with olive oil, and as usual, saute one medium onion, then add chopped broccoli and seasonings.  Lower heat and add cheese - stir to combine. 

Pound chicken so that it is just under 1/2 in thick. Dip in egg mixture and coat with Panko breading.

Add broccoli and cheese mixture. Fold chicken over careful to keep all the filling in the middle.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until juices run clear

Yum?

YUM! 

Breaded Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

1 LB Chicken Breast, pounded 1/2 thin

1 1/2 C Frozen Broccoli, thawed and chopped

1 medium onion chopped

2 tsp Garlic 

1/4 c italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 c Panko Breading

1 Large egg, slightly beaten

Heat olive oil on medium heat. Saute broccoli, onions, 1 tsp of garlic and salt and pepper until broccoli is slightly browned and cooked. Lower heat and add cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs. Remove from heat and set aside. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then panko breading, place in prepared dish breading side down.  Add broccoli and cheese mixture evenly to each chicken breast. Bake on 375 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.