Taste Test: Hasselback Chicken
Hello all, this delicious recipe for Hasselback Chicken came from Lois at walkingonsunshinerecipes.com. My husband and I really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to share it with you! The best part is that it is a healthy recipe. Now you all probably have already sensed that we aren’t overly particular about what we eat. We try to be smart, eat lots of fruits and veggies and lean proteins, and limit desserts. We are by no means health experts, nor do I even count calories. I am happy for those of you who do. Kudos to you. Anyway, without farther ado . . . Hasselback Chicken!
At first “Hasselback” is confusing, like, what even is that? Google as I might, I couldn’t find a good definition of what “hasselback” means. The chicken is sort of named after hasselback potatoes . . . you know those potatoes people slice before they bake. Delicious right? Well, people got cool and started stuffing hasselback potatoes with cheese and bacon. Now we’re talking. So this hasselback chicken recipe is essentially mimicking those delicious little potatoes, but with an Italian twist. Instead of being stuffed with cheese, bacon and green onions, these guys are stuffed with tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. SO delicious!
A nice thing about this recipe is the chicken breast is lean, the basil and tomatoes are good for you, and the mozzarella cheese is made with skim milk so it’s kind of a win all the way around.
Let’s talk about the details…
- Time: 25 to bake and about 15 minutes prep
- Ingredient Cost:
- Chicken Breast (I used two ¾ lb breasts): $2.85
- Fresh Basil: $.99 (I used half a package)
- Cherry Tomatoes: $.75 (1/2 a pint)
- Fresh Mozzarella: $1.25
- Olive oil: On hand
- Salt, Pepper, and Italian Seasoning: On hand
- Total: $5.84
- Modifications: None. It was easy to make and good as is! The only thing we added was Parmesan cheese grated on top.
This recipe is so basic and easy. Literally, you are just cutting slices in raw chicken and inserted your “fixins” (as they say down here in South Carolina). I decided to serve this with salads and fried potatoes wedges. We were SO full after we ate, and I could only eat a half of a piece of chicken. I think The mozzarella and chicken is a lot of protein so you get full quickly, which is a plus when your husband normally eats two helpings of dinner to get full. I was quite pleased.
We will definitely make this recipe again and perhaps get adventurous with other “fixins” like cheddar, bacon, green onion (catching my hasselback drift here?) or maybe feta, olives, and mint for something a bit more Mediterranean. This dish would also be good served with alfredo sauce over pasta, but that would be SUPER filling, so you might have to make smaller chicken breasts or half chicken breasts.
Even if you add a few potatoes and some salad, this meal easily costs less than ten dollars, probably less than eight.
Thumbs up to Lois for her fantastic recipe!