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Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, and Bacon Chicken recipe - the chicken breasts are seasoned with dry Italian salad dressing mix, smothered with the creamed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon, and baked to perfection! The best baked chicken ever!
If you want to know how to cook the best chicken breasts, this is the recipe for you! No more boring, dry chicken. A lot of people prefer to bake their chicken vs. frying it on the stove top, and in this recipe the chicken breasts are baked in the oven and are very juicy and moist and flavorful thanks to all the stuff on top!
This Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, and Bacon Smothered Chicken is one of the best chicken breast recipes I ever made! It's just like stuffed chicken, instead you put everything on top and bake!
How to make Sun-Dried Tomato Spinach Bacon Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Use 4 small chicken breasts or 2 large chicken breast, sliced horizontally in half.
Butter the bottom of the baking dish. Season chicken breasts from both sides with the Italian salad dressing mix. Place the chicken breasts, flat side down, into the greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F.
In the mean time, make the creamed spinach. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook for only 1 or 2 minutes until it is heated through and starts to wilt. Remove from heat. Add minced garlic and half and half. Bring to boil. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and keep stirring, on high heat, until mozzarella cheese starts to melt - about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until you have a nice, smooth creamed spinach - about 30 seconds or 1 more minutes. The creamed spinach should be pretty thick in texture, not watery. If watery, bring to boil again and cook off extra liquid, constantly stirring. Season with salt. Remove from heat.
Remove the baking pan with chicken breasts from the oven (you baked them for 15-20 minutes):
Top each chicken breast with creamed spinach:
Then, top with sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil and chopped into smaller bites):
Next, top with chopped cooked bacon:
Next, top with the broken slices of pepper jack cheese.
Bake in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 more minutes, until the smothered chicken is completely cooked through, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear:
These are really some of the best baked chicken breasts I ever made!
Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach, and Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
Baked Chicken Breasts:
- 1.5 lb chicken (4 small chicken breasts or 2 large chicken breasts sliced horizontally in half)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 0.5 oz Italian Dressing mix packet (half the packet)
Creamed spinach:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 oz baby spinach fresh
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cup half and half
- ⅔ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Other ingredients:
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil, chopped into smaller bites
- 4 slices bacon cooked
- 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese or Monterey cheese with jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Butter the bottom of the baking dish. Season chicken breasts from both sides with the Italian salad dressing mix. Place the chicken breasts, flat side down, into the greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F.
How to make creamed spinach:
- In the mean time, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spinach and cook for only 1 or 2 minutes until it is heated through and starts to wilt. Remove from heat. Add minced garlic and half and half. Bring to boil. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and keep stirring, on high heat, until mozzarella cheese starts to melt - about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until you have a nice, smooth creamed spinach - about 30 seconds or 1 more minutes. The creamed spinach should be pretty thick in texture, not watery. If watery, bring to boil again and cook off extra liquid, constantly stirring. Season with salt. Remove from heat.
Smothered Chicken Breasts:
- Remove the baking pan with chicken breasts from the oven (you baked them for 15-20 minutes). Top each chicken breast with creamed spinach, sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil and chopped into smaller bites), chopped cooked bacon, and broken slices of pepper jack cheese. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 more minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through, no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Made this recipe today and it was a total keeper. I used fresh mozzarella and basil in the sauce. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Thank you! I am glad you liked it!
Have you ever frozen or know if it could be frozen?
Can I use frozen spinach?
Made this for dinner tonight. Super easy to follow and make. I don't like pepper jack cheese so I used some smoked gouda instead. And made double the sauce, was a little thicker then I like but it wad still soooooooooo good!!!! I think next time I'll make it a little more thinner. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I'm guessing from the comments that I am the only one who found a mozzarella cheese sauce difficult. I was skeptical when I read the recipe but plowed on. What a mucky disaster! I finally ended up making a flour slurry to get it to homogenize. That being said, the dish was good but I think I'd switch to cheddar or another cheese next time.
Nope you are not the only one. Making it now and its not doing well
This recipe was awesome!! Will definitely be making it again!
made this LOVED THIS!!!
I served my chicken on top of fettuccine noodles, dressed with a little lemon and butter.
My best friend sent me this pin, and I made it tonight. There's a reason why she's my best friend! This was so good! I am full and can't stop eating til it's gone! Totally worth the effort, great flavor, great recipe! THANKS!
Made this tonight. Added tomatoes & mushrooms and served it over brown rice. It was so so good! 🙂
I found your recipe on Pintrest. I am going to make it tonight but instead bacon I will add mushrooms..yummy
My mouth is watering! These look fabulous. Will def try them soon, maybe with some creamy polenta on the side, or arborio rice. Mmmm. Thanks for the recipe!!
Looks good. Cooking it tonight.
Thank you, Benna!
Looks absolutely delicious, can't wait to make this for my family.
I found your recipe on pinterest! It looks amazing!
Thank you, Nicole!
This recipe just looks so yummy! I can't wait to give it a try. I featured it this week in my weekly Saturday Morning Coffee Cafe post! Have a great weekend.
Thanks, Dori!
Used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Great recipe!
Thank you - good to know that boneless, skinless chicken thighs work in this recipe!