Grilled Chicken Stuffed With Arugula and Pepper Jack

What a great way to dress up a boneless chicken breast! I think this dish is our new favorite! I came across a version of this recipe on the Food Network website.  I adapted it a little to meet our prep ahead lifestyle and it was a hit!  Restaurant quality for sure!!!


We grill year round, but in the warmer weather, the grill puts in some serious over-time!  I have to admit, when I say "we," I really mean Mike.  I don't even know how to turn the thing on.  Before I was married,  I lived with friends and I can recall firing up the grill several times a week.  It's just not my job around here and I am more than alright with that. I'm not looking for any more assignments these days.  


Even before the girls came along, I have always been the one to do the majority of cooking. One, because I happen to like to do it and two, even when I was teaching, I have always been the one to arrive home first.  However, it's not realistic for Mike to get home at 6:00 in the evening, prepare and then grill up dinner and still have the kids in bed at a reasonable hour.  Here is how we make it work:  I prepare the meat/seafood that needs to be grilled ahead of time along with any other side dishes.  Mike can grill the meat up when he gets home which never takes longer than 20 minutes since everything has been prepped.  Dinner is still on the table by 6:30!  YAY for teamwork!!!


Prep Ahead Plan:  Prepare steps 1-3 below and leave the chicken, covered, in the fridge until you're ready to grill it.  Ours ended up sitting in the fridge for over 24 hours before we grilled it and it was perfect!


Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Arugula and Pepper Jack
Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups of arugala, chopped
4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded or diced up
olive oil
cajun spice
salt*
*omit the salt if your cajun seasoning has salt in it!

Directions
1.  Make a slice in the side of each chicken breast in order to make a pocket.  (Imagine you are cutting pita bread!)
2.  Combine arugula and cheese in a bowl.  Stuff as much as you can into each of the "pockets" in the chicken breast.
3.  Brush a little olive oil over each piece of chicken and shake on the desired amount of cajun seasoning.  Use as much or as little as you like!  We like a lot!
4.  Preheat a grill on high.  Cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until a thermometer reads 155 degrees!