Ginger-stuffed chicken with sesame spinach, from Gael

Ginger-stuffed chicken with sesame spinach, from Gael

From Real Simple Magazine, March 2008. Gael made this when staying home on maternity leave with Kelly. Rob loved it. I had to ask the butcher to debone the chicken breasts for me -- all the deboned breasts had no skin on them.

I used brown and wild rice (packaged) rather than boring old white rice. I also used only two chicken breast halves but kept the other measurements the same except for the spinach, which I halved. But it shrinks down a LOT so you can use however much you want.

1 cup long-grain white rice (or brown rice, or wild)
4 6-ounce boneless chicken breast halves, with skin
2 tablespoons grated ginger
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 bunches spinach (1 pound), trimmed

Cook the rice according to the package directions.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Carefully stuff the ginger under the skin.

Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crisp, 7 minutes. Turn and cook, covered, until cooked through, about 6 minutes.Heat the sesame oil and seeds in another large skillet over medium heat until the seeds are light gold, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook until wilted. (Get ready to jump back from the pan when you add the spinach, it will sizzle like crazy and quickly shrink way down.)

Divide the spinach among individual plates and serve with the chicken and rice.