Stuffed Chicken Breast
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My stuffed chicken breast recipe features a creamy spinach, cheese, and sun-dried tomato filling tucked inside juicy chicken breasts. It’s quick enough for weeknights yet impressive enough for guests and special occasions.
Why I love stuffed chicken breasts
If you are looking for an easy yet elegant chicken dinner, my stuffed chicken breast recipe is the answer. It is one of my favorite ways to elevate a simple chicken breast and a recipe I make for both weeknight dinners and special occasions.
The creamy spinach, cheese, and sun-dried-tomato filling keeps the chicken juicy and flavorful, while making it look far more impressive than the effort involved. Here’s why you should make it:
- A filling that never disappoints. Creamy spinach and cheese are a match made in heaven and you can never go wrong with this combination of ingredients. And sun-dried tomatoes are just there to make things even better.
- Perfect for making ahead. I often stuff the chicken breasts the night before (and sometimes up to two days ahead) and keep them refrigerated until I’m ready to cook.
- Naturally low carb. It’s packed with protein and flavor, and I don’t rely on breadcrumbs or heavy sauces.
- Three cooking methods. I prefer using the skillet because it’s fast (10 minutes) but I’ve included my air fryer and oven methods, too.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Exceptional!! So tender and creamy filling… loved it!” – Jess
Table of Contents
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breast. I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but skin-on chicken works well too. If you do opt for the latter, be sure to pat dry the skin to ensure it turns out crispy.
- Spinach. Baby spinach, chopped. Please do not use frozen spinach, as the excess liquid seeps into the mixture, resulting in a watery filling instead of a creamy one.
- Cream cheese. Softened for easy mixing. Avoid using low-fat or fat-free cream cheese, as it will release moisture during cooking.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Packed in oil, not water. I find the water-soaked tomatoes tend to lose it’s flavor once cooked.
- Parmesan. Freshly grated. My #1 tip when working with recipes that call for cheese is to always grate or shred by hand. It melts more easily and tastes better. I’ve also had success with freshly sliced mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
- Feta. I prefer a soft feta cheese, such as Greek or Danish feta. Generic feta cheese will also work, but it will be a little chunkier VS creamier.
- Salt and spices. I use black pepper and smoked paprika for this recipe.
- Butter. To cook the chicken breasts. You can also use olive oil for this, but I like the golden sear butter gives.
How to make stuffed chicken breast
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep the chicken breasts. Butterfly the chicken breasts, fold them open, and season the outer side with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Step 2- Make the filling. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese with grated Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, chopped baby spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Step 3- Stuff the chicken. Put some of the cream cheese mixture on one side of the butterflied chicken breast, then fold over and secure with toothpicks.
Step 4- Cook. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a knob of butter to it and brown the chicken on all sides. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Alternative cooking methods
While I prefer to cook stuffed chicken on the stovetop, I’ve also tested this recipe in the air fryer and the oven! Here is how you’d do it:
Air fryer method: Add the stuffed chicken to a greased air fryer basket. Air fry at 200C/400F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Oven method: Prep the chicken as instructed, then add it to a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe dish. Bake at 180C/350F for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160F (plus 5 minutes resting). For an even juicer chicken, sear it before baking.
Arman’s recipe tips
- You’ll know the chicken is fully cooked once the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 160F (plus 5 minutes of resting time). Use a meat thermometer to double-check.
- Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before serving. The juices will redistribute, and the chicken will be even juicier.
- Broil the chicken for 1-2 minutes before serving for an even crispier exterior. Be wary, though, that doing this for even a few minutes extra will burn the chicken.
- Use softened cream cheese. It will make the mixture mixable and creamy. If my cream cheese is a little too hard, I’ll microwave it for 15-20 seconds.
- Having trouble stuffing the chicken? Here’s how I butterfly them with ease. Slice it horizontally through the middle without cutting all the way through, then open it like a book.
Frequently asked questions
The easiest and most efficient way to seal stuffed chicken is with toothpicks, but you can also use strings. Just remember to discard before serving.
Fold open the chicken breast, cover it with cling wrap, and pound it to flatten it. I use a meat mallet, but any hard object will work (I’ve used a cast-iron skillet, a rolling pin, and even a saucepan before!).
What to serve with stuffed chicken
I like to keep the sides on the simple side, to really let the chicken shine:
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breasts skinless and boneless, 600g/21 ounces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6 ounces + 2 tablespoons cream cheese softened, 200g
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese 35g
- 1/3 cup feta cheese 50g
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped, 30g
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, 40g
- 1 tablespoon butter to cook
Instructions
- Butterfly your chicken breasts by slicing them horizontally through the middle and stopping just before it cuts them in half. Sprinkle the outside with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, baby spinach, and sun dried tomatoes.
- Stuff the chicken breasts with the filling, and use toothpicks to hold everything in place. Don't worry if some of the filling falls out.
- Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and once hot, and the chicken and brown all sides of it. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165.
Notes
Nutrition
More skillet chicken breast recipes
Originally published August 2022
Amazing!
I added sautéed onion and garlic to the spinach mixture. I also pan seared the chicken, then baked it in the oven, covered with foil. Super moist and delicious. I seared this with roasted root veggies. Yum! Everyone loved it! Thanks for sharing.
This was the best!! I decided to sprinkle the seasoning on the inside and outside of the chicken breast. Love this recipe. Was actually able to make 5 stuffed breast.
This went down really well in my house! Such great dinner ideas on this site, thank you.
This was so good, definitely a keeper!!!
Good! Did some replacements added bacon and mushrooms instead of spinach and very good
Awesome, Chicken is my only meat. Loved this and will be making weekly. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks again for a superb recipe, this stuffed chicken is so good, second time making it and a favourite with family.
This was easy and delicious! thanks, Arman!
so welcome, Wendy!
Can you please email me the video for this recipe? It’s not showing up. Thank you!
Hi Julie- just circling back. I emailed it a while back, hopefully you enjoyed it 🙂
This was amazing and so simple. The only thing I did different was added a small sautéed shallot and garlic, and only because I had a shallot that I needed to use, not because it needs any changes. Bravo on a great recipe! Thanks!
Overall the recipe is delicious and even after I’m done I think about it. My only issue is no matter how many times I make it the cook time is never right. I typically have to throw it in the over for 10 minutes or so just for the chicken to cook all the way through. It may just be user error and I’m doing something wrong but it’s just an issue I have. Aside from that it’s a great recipe.
Hi Stephanie! Do you have a meat thermometer? I find that it really helps with cooking the chicken. Also, using the nob with the largest heat setting.
Served it with sweet potato mash and broccolini was yummo.
This is the best chicken recipe it’s so delicious 😋
I made this for our dinner tonight and it was absolutely stunning. The breasts I had were very thick so I flattened them a bit before stuffing and I closed with toothpicks. I did not have oil packed tomatoes but I reconstituted some dried ones in boiling water then chopped and added and it worked perfectly. Highly recommended! Thanks for sharing Arman.
This sounds good. I may try non-fat greek plain yogurt in exhange for the cream cheese
Sure, it may be a little tart but should be okay!
Wow delicious
I have a feeling if you use yogurt it will not work since it’s not creamy like cheese. More than likely the end result might be watery . Try ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese . Just a thought . Good luck
Made this for Christmas and my whole family enjoyed it, making it again soon
Fabulous! Thanks, Zama
Delicious and finger licking good❤️👍🏽