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Stuffed Chicken Breast

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

 Serve this with my Smashed Potatoes and be sure to try my Baked Chicken Thighs recipe next!

Stuffed Chicken Breast with mashed potatoes in the background and green beans on the side.

Stuffed Chicken Breast

There is no better way to make dinner exciting than to make Stuffed Chicken Breast! This recipe pairs so well with a variety of potato side dishes as well as roasted vegetables. The filling options are endless and fun to customize!

This particular recipe has a creamy 3-cheese blend with sauteed spinach, garlic, herbs, and sun-dried tomatoes! It’s an easy way to add a gourmet flair to your regular rotation, and you can even stuff the chicken ahead of time!

Be sure to check out all of my pro tips below!

How to Make It

*See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Soften the spinach and garlic in a skillet and let cool. Combine the stuffing ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

A skillet of sauteed spinach and garlic next to a bowl of stuffing ingredients for chicken breast.

Slice a pocket into each chicken breast as shown below, being careful not to cut all the way through the other side. Fill each with stuffing and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. 

Chicken breasts before and after being stuffed with spinach, cheese, and sundried tomatoes.

Sear in oil from the sundried tomatoes (or olive oil), for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden.

Bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until the internal temp of the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°.  Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts before and after being baked.

Make Ahead Method

  • Stuff the chicken as outlined. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
  • Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come close to room temperature (20-25 minutes), then sear and bake as outlined. 

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.

A skillet of Stuffed Chicken Breast filled with spinach, sundried tomatoes, and cheese.

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  2-3 teaspoons of water to the foil to keep the chicken juicy.

Stuffed Chicken Breast on a white plate with mashed potatoes and green beans.

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Stuffed Chicken Breast on a white plate with green beans on the side and mashed potatoes in the back.

Stuffed Chicken Breast

5 from 14 ratings
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!

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 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, 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

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. 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

Calories: 559kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 61g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 203mg, Sodium: 701mg, Potassium: 1370mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 3031IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 293mg, Iron: 3mg
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38 comments on “Stuffed Chicken Breast”

  1. OMG! THIS IS SO GOOD! MY HUSBAND ATE A WHOLE BREAST TONIGHT, HE WOKE ME UP AFTER EATING TO TELL ME HOW GOOD IT WAS. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE.

  2. This is a special dish that is easy to prepare for company.  My guests were wowed! My family was so pleased there were leftovers that are delicious the next day or easily frozen to enjoy later. Making this again for another dinner party next week.

    • I am sooo thrilled to hear that Dale! Such a great dish to make for family and friends, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the best!! -Stephanie 🙂

  3. My husband loves this chicken. Easy to fix and yummy too

  4. Hello, I have tried this yet, but would like to make ahead for a vacation. Could I prepare, not bake, then freeze? I’d then bake it in an electric roasting oven. Thanks in advance for your reply.

  5. Could I transfer the chicken to an air fryer instead of the oven? And with what temperature and for how long?

  6. This looks amazing! Do you think I can sear the chicken and allow to cool then cover and bake the next day? Trying to minimize work day of dinner party

  7. I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! 
    My husband and kids all loved it too!  

  8. Are tomatoes raw or cooked?

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