Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Published 1/20/2023
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This spinach stuffed chicken breast will be one of your new favorite recipes — and for good reason! No one can resist juicy chicken breasts stuffed with an oozy, cheesy spinach filling. This easy chicken recipe is what we call: the good STUFF.
The BEST Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I don’t know about you, but I get tired of the same old boring chicken recipes. However, this easy spinach stuffed chicken is anything BUT boring. It’s creamy, cheesy, full of flavor, and will reignite your faith in deliciously creative chicken dishes — trust me!
Now, this dish may look like something that should be left to the pros, but it’s actually SUPER simple. It’s just like making any chicken breast recipe, but with an additional step or two of prepping and cooking your stuffing. Easy peasy!
Why you’ll love it!
It’s a simple recipe with a few basic ingredients and will be ready to eat in 40 minutes!
The creamy spinach stuffing is simply PHENOMENAL.
Great for making ahead and meal prep.
Will WOW any crowd.
PS: if you love our Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast, you’re sure to love this one!
Latest Chicken Recipes
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Ingredients
- Garlic powder: the holy grail of seasonings. Don’t skip out on that GP. It tastes fantastic on the chicken!
- Salt + pepper: we don’t need to explain why you need this dynamic culinary duo.
- Chicken breasts: we used 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts as they are the easiest for stuffing.
- Olive oil: a key ingredient for searing the chicken and cooking the stuffing.
- Onion: onion acts as a flavorful base for the cheesy spinach stuffing.
- Spinach: we used fresh baby spinach for this recipe for the best flavor and texture.
- Cream cheese: we always recommend full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
Check it out!
6 Baked Chicken Breast Recipes
You are going to love these 6 oven baked chicken breast recipes. Check out how to bake chicken breast perfectly every time and get 6 delicious flavor variations!
How to Make Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card for a list of ingredients and instructions.
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
PREPARE THE SPICE RUB
Add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon and set aside. This will be used as your flavorful chicken dry rub!
CUT CHICKEN + SEASON
Place your chicken breasts onto a cutting board and slice the chicken in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, leaving the chicken breast tissue connected but creating a flap.
Season the chicken breast with the spice rub on both sides, including in the flap. Set aside.
COOK SPINACH
Next, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Then add the spinach to the onion and toss.
Cover the pan and let the spinach cook down for 1-2 minutes, stirring to be sure all of the spinach wilts. Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
MAKE CREAM CHEESE + SPINACH STUFFING
Once the spinach is cool, add the cream cheese to the bowl and stir until the cream cheese and spinach are combined. Divide the spinach mixture into fourths.
STUFF CHICKEN BREASTS
Next, stuff each chicken breast with 1/4 of the spinach mixture by placing it between the flap.
Secure the spinach cream cheese filling by closing the flap and securing both edges of the chicken breast with 2-3 toothpicks or more until it holds together. Repeat with each chicken breast.
SEAR CHICKEN
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the stuffed chicken breast to the pan. Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side to brown.
BAKE STUFFED CHICKEN
Carefully place the skillet into the oven (be careful, the handle might be hot) and bake at 375ºF for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway.
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breast. Make sure it’s at least 165ºF before removing it from the oven. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before eating. ENJOY!
Pro Tip: If there is any melted cheese in the bottom of the skillet, be sure to pour the melted cream cheese over the chicken breasts before serving. (Gotta get ALL that yummy CHEESE.)
Try it!
Stuffed Pork Chops
These stuffed pork chops are crunchy on the outside and packed with cheesy mushroom goodness on the inside making these the ultimate weeknight meal.
What to Serve with Stuffed Chicken Breasts
These spinach stuffed chicken breasts make such a fantastic main dish for a healthy meal. We recommend any of the following sides and salads to serve alongside them at the dinner table for absolute meal perfection:
SIDES
- Mashed potatoes
- White rice or brown rice
- Cauliflower rice
- Oven-roasted asparagus
- Roasted brussels sprouts
- Grilled carrots
- Any pasta
SALADS
Try it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by using a meat thermometer when cooking any cut of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works every time.
Stuffed Chicken — Everything You Need to Know
Yes, you can absolutely stuff these chicken breasts with many different things. Here are a couple of other fun ideas: cooked spinach + cheese, asparagus + parmesan cheese, or cream cheese + caramelized onions.
You know when your broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breast is cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken is 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165ºF.
Yes, this is a healthy stuffed chicken breast recipe and a great healthy dinner option! This stuffed chicken has 49 grams of protein per chicken breast. You also get a serving of vegetables that are stuffed right into the chicken breast.
Let the chicken breast cool completely before placing it in an air-tight container and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Storage
Let spinach stuffed chicken breasts cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
You can freeze these stuffed chicken breasts after they are baked! Let them cool completely before wrapping them in plastic wrap, then tin foil, and then place them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the stuffed chicken breasts, preheat the oven to 325ºF, unwrap the chicken breast, place it on a baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast (~4 breasts)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- ½ medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 5 oz. fresh spinach
- 6 oz. cream cheese, cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Prepare the spice rub. Add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon and set aside.
- Place the chicken breasts onto a cutting board and slice the chicken in half lengthwise with a sharp knife leaving the chicken breast tissue connected, but creating a flap.
- Season the chicken breast with the spice rub, including in the flap. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add onion and saute the onion for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Add the spinach to the onion and toss. Cover the pan and let the spinach cook down for 1-2 minutes, stirring to ensure all the spinach cooks down. Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl and allow the spinach to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese to the bowl once the spinach is cool and stir until the cream cheese and spinach are combined. Divide the spinach mixture into fourths.
- Stuff each chicken breast with 1/4 of the spinach mixture by placing it in between the flap. Secure the spinach cream cheese filling by closing the flap and securing both edges of the chicken breast with 2-3 toothpicks or more until it holds together. Repeat with each chicken breast.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the stuffed chicken breast to the pan. Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side to brown.
- Carefully place the skillet into the oven (be careful, the handle might be hot) and bake at 375ºF for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breast. Make sure it’s at least 165ºF before removing it from the oven. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before eating.
- If there is any melted cheese in the bottom of the skillet, be sure to pour the melted cream cheese over the chicken breasts before serving.
Tips & Notes
- The bake time for the chicken breasts may vary by the size of your chicken breasts.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
This dish is awesome!!!