If you're looking for the best stuffed chicken breast recipe or even how to make stuffed chicken breasts, you have come to the right place!
Is anyone else completely freaked out by the monster-sized chicken breasts you seen in the stores these days? Pick up a pack of those guys from the store, and three ( because there's always three in a pack for some reason ) manage to weigh a pound and a half to two pounds.
It's nuts! Even when I get the fancy $9-per-pound hormone-free cage-free massaged-since-birth ocean-front free-roaming Prius-driving chicken breasts, they are STILL pretty huge.
Oh, and still three to a pack.
Why do boneless, skinless chicken breasts always come three to a pack?! But chicken breast recipes always want four!
Which is funny, because every recipe ever written for boneless skinless chicken breasts seems to call for four. I'm fighting back! My Easy, Basic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts recipe calls for three, because I'm not in cahoots with the chicken people, and I know how chicken comes packed.
Here we have another chicken recipe using the ubiquitous boneless, skinless chicken breast, and it calls for only three pieces of chicken!
Usually, half of one of these guys is more than enough to fill me up, particularly when crammed full of delicious, tangy feta and cooked spinach. Seriously! Chicken breast stuffed with spinach is where. it's. at.
Everyone will love this Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
So don't let this recipe fool you -- three stuffed boneless, skinless chicken breasts is enough to feed six, even though I've listed the servings as "3", as most people would be hesitant to serve a half breast to someone at a dinner party, and I don't want to ruin anyone's evening.
Love recipes like this Spinach Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast? You might also like:
- Crispy Oven Fried Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Easy Bourbon Salmon
- Lemon Olive Chicken Breasts
- Healthy Chicken Breakfast Sausage
I've had a ton of positive response from this post, as well as a few questions - so I've created a quick FAQ about this recipe so you don't have to scroll through all the comments:
How to make stuffed chicken breasts video, which answers lots of questions in a visual:
How do I stuff chicken breasts?
Verrrrrry carefully! I've found the best method really is as listed in the recipe: place something hard and flat ( like a metal spatula ) on top of the chicken breast, and insert your knife into the thickest part about ⅔ deep.
While pressing down on the top of the chicken breast with the spatula, gently work the knife towards the thinnest part of the breast, stopping before you create a "flap" by cutting the whole length. Just make a little pocket!
Is this a healthy stuffed chicken breast recipe?
Maybe? I generally shy away from calling anything with cream cheese in it "Healthy", but depending on your dietary needs, this recipe might just suit them! It is a low-carb chicken breast recipe ( and keto stuffed chicken breast recipe ) AND it is stuffed with spinach, but only you and your doctor can ultimately determine if something is healthy for you.
A lot of people love that this is a keto stuffed chicken breast recipe. I don't do keto personally, but if that's your jam, I'm told this one is a great keto chicken recipe!
Can I make this recipe if I don't have a pan that can go from stove top to oven?
YES! Do step 5 ( browning the chicken in a pan ) in your favorite stove-top friendly pan, then transfer the seared spinach stuffed chicken breasts to an oven safe pan with sides - like a Pyrex or sheet pan.
In fact, a TON of people have asked me where I got the sheet pans in the photos -- they are from Amazon, one of the cheapest pan sets I've ever purchased, and I LOVE them. You can check them out here: Nordic Ware Sheet Pan Set, and if you buy them or anything else on Amazon after clicking, I'll get a little tiny ( pennies, y'all ) kickback that helps keep my blog up and running at NO extra cost to you.
[oih_opt_in id="5"]
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 8 oz chopped frozen spinach cooked according to package directions and squeezed dry.
- 3 oz feta crumbled ( about ½ cup )
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 clove garlic diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt divided
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.
- Mix the chopped frozen spinach, feta, cream cheese, garlic and half of the salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Cut a pocket into each chicken breast. If you are unsure of how to cut a pocket into the chicken without also cutting a pocket into your hand, try this: One at a time, place the chicken flat on a cutting board, and press a large spatula ( or something else that cannot be stabbed, i.e. DO NOT USE YOUR HAND) flat on top of the breast. Make sure that you are pressing the spatula down hard enough to hold the chicken in place. You may need to actually dig the edge of the spatula into the meat just a little bit to accomplish this. Insert the knife ⅔ of the way into the side of the thickest part of the chicken, and slice down to the thinnest part, stopping before you cut through; you want a pocket not a flap.
- Separate the spinach and cheese mixture into three parts, and roll into thick logs. Stuff each log into the pocket you made in the chicken breasts. Season with remaining salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan set over medium high heat, then add the stuffed chicken, "top" side down. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the chicken over.
- Place the pan into the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. If your chicken breasts are extraordinarily thick, cook for 2 to 5 minutes longer, or until juices run clear when you poke the chicken with a fork.
Ian Munro says
Followed the recipe (using two separate pans) and it camd out perfectly.
Rita Szczur says
LOVE this recipe..but honestly it takes me much longer to cook it than the recipe says..and the recipe is a tiny bit unclear whether to cook the spinach or not..if yiu look at the top of the recipe it does say to cook it, but lower it may appear that you use the spinach frozen. And it takes a lot longer in the oven, possibly because I am transferring it to a cold sheet pan with parchment paper.
Em says
Made this tonight- very good!! I tripled the recipe and used fresh spinach instead (sautéed and drained), only used 5oz of feta, and about 9 oz cream cheese. Baking took about 25/30 minutes and I covered the pan with foil for the last 15. My husband and two teen boys gobbled it up so fast we only have one chicken breast left! Great recipe!
Amy Kamp says
I made this chicken with two big chicken breast’s and then cut them in half and they were smaller portions but still tasted AMAZING!!! I love this recipe. I didn’t have garlic cloves so I just used garlic powder...still tasted great. Thanks for the recipe!
Jacklyn says
What do you usually pair with this for sides??
basilandbubbly says
I love to do a cauliflower mash if I'm staying low carb, or some couscous if I'm eating whatever I want!
Gin says
I made this yesterday and it was fabulous - even better today. I didn't have feta or frozen spinach on hand, so I substituted provolone (OMG - YUM) and sauteed fresh spinach with garlic, then drained out all water.
I seared for the required time in my cast iron skillet, flipped them then baked. AMAZING FLAVORS! For those who'd like a bit of sauce, if you use a good cast iron you should have a small amount of liquid in the pan. De-glaze with a small amount of water and you'll have a bit of sauce. Mine came out so juicy it didn't need any additional sauce. I will say fresh garlic is key - powder just wouldn't give the same flavors.
Thanks for a great recipe - it's simple and it's definitely a keeper.
basilandbubbly says
I also use fresh spinach for this pretty often. I haven't tried with provolone though. I bet that was awesome! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and I'm glad you enjoyed it!