Stuffed Chicken Breast

This Stuffed Chicken Breast has a creamy 3-cheese blend with spinach, herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes! It's easy to make and customize with different fillings!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 559kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
Salt/Pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Filling

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cups packed spinach roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained/chopped
4 oz. cream cheese 1/2 cup, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella see notes
1/3 cup Parmesan grated
½ teaspoon EACH: dried basil, dried oregano
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pro Tip 1: Instead of olive oil, I like to use reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe!
Pro Tip 2: Sear the chicken in a cast iron or oven-safe skillet so that you don’t have to transfer it to a casserole dish after searing!

Prepare the Filling

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Add 1-2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and garlic and cook until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
Set the spinach/garlic and sundried tomatoes aside. Combine remaining filling ingredients, then gently stir in the spinach/garlic and tomatoes. Set aside.

Prepare the Chicken

Pat the chicken dry. Use a sharp paring knife to create a pocket for the stuffing. (Slice the side of the chicken that has the fold on the bottom.) Be careful not to cut all the way through to the other side. (See process shots in blog post for a visual on what the pocket area looks like.)
Stuff each chicken breast with the filling. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening and hot, add 2 chicken breasts at a time and sear each side until it begins to turn golden, 2-3 minutes.
Pro Tip: I use 2 spatulas to maneuver the chicken when flipping, it’s easier to handle gently. The top and bottom of chicken will cook about halfway up but the middle will still be uncooked.

Bake

If your skillet is not oven safe, transfer the chicken to a baking dish.
Bake at 375° for 17-20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°. Rest for 5 minutes prior to serving with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!

Notes

Pro Tips

Chicken: If your breasts are very thick, tenderize with a meat mallet to thin it out slightly. This will also make the chicken more tender.
Cheese: Shred/grate the cheese from a block for best results as it will melt and taste better. I use Dragone whole milk low moisture mozzarella and BelGioioso Parmesan.
Stuffing Amount: I use just under 1/2 cup of filling per chicken breast.
Add-on options include sauteed mushrooms, bacon, feta, and more!
Toothpicks can help keep the filling intact if you are having trouble with that, the cream cheese in this recipe helps the filling stay pretty sturdy/in place, so I don't find them to be necessary.

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This chicken does freeze well.
To Reheat: Wrap loosely in foil and bake at 325° for 15 minutes, depending on the size. (If possible, let it sit out at room temp for 15-minutes first.) You may choose to add a 2-3 teaspoons of water to the foil to keep the chicken juicy.

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition