Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and you can adapt it with different stuffing ingredients. This spinach and cream cheese stuffed chicken is cooked in the air fryer for all that crispiness without lots of oil.
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The cheesy, melty, gooey filling of these air fryer stuffed chicken breasts is just incredible! Two types of cheese, spinach for a green veggie boost and then some flavour boosting sun-dried tomatoes all packed into perfectly cooked, juicy and crispy chicken breast. This stuffed chicken breast recipe has it all.
If you are looking for more air fryer chicken recipes, then why not try our kid-friendly Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, easy Air Fryer Whole Chicken or our delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tikka.
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Why You Will Love It
- Easy - Once you have cut the pocket in the chicken, it's as simple as stuffing it.
- Looks impressive - Stuffed chicken breast in air fryer looks far more impressive than it actually is. Perfect for an easy dinner party.
- Adaptable - There are so many ways you can adapt this air fryer stuffed chicken breast. Lots of ideas below.
- Juicy - The best thing about cooking chicken in the air fryer is that it stays nice and juicy and tender.
- Low carb - These stuffed chicken breasts are low carb, gluten free and suitable for a keto diet.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Chicken - You want boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Make sure they are all the same size so they cook evenly.
- Paprika and garlic - These are the seasonings we are using, but you could use some dried herbs or chilli powder too.
- Salt and pepper - Generously season.
- Cream cheese - Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing it with the other ingredients.
- Cheddar - Use a mature cheddar, as it has a lot of flavour and a little goes a long way.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - This adds lots of flavour.
- Spinach - An easy way to add a green vegetable boost. There are other vegetable options below.
Variations
Bacon - If you want to take these air fryer stuffed chicken breasts to the next level, then once they are stuffed you can wrap them in bacon. This will help to keep all the filling in too. You could also add some chopped cooked bacon or ham to the cheese mix too.
Seasoning - We used some paprika and garlic, but there are lots of other seasonings that can be used. Why not try an Italian herb blend? If you like things spicy, then you could add some cayenne too.
Cheese - The cheese is where all of the sauce comes from. You could swap the cheddar for mozzarella, which would be much more stringy when melted. Feta or goat's cheese work really well too.
Vegetables - We just added spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. However, you could add some chopped bell peppers, artichokes or courgette in there. The key is to not over-stuff it, as there isn't much room. Mushrooms go really nicely with the cheese and add a nice texture. Gouda is a good cheese to pair with mushrooms.
Flavour booster - The sun-dried tomatoes add lots of flavour, but you can do the same with some chopped olives or tapenade. You could even mix some pesto into the cream cheese.
How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Step 1: In a bowl, add the cheddar, cream cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper (a). Mix well (b).
- Step 2: Slice the chicken breasts with a sharp knife, making a pocket. Divide the cheese mixture between the chicken.
- Step 3: Push a toothpick through the chicken to keep it closed. Put into the air fryer and cook at 180°C for 20 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many different ways that you can serve these air fryer stuffed chicken breasts. Here are some of our favourite sides:
Storage
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: If you wanted to freeze these, then we would recommend doing that before cooking. Stuff them and then wrap them individually and put in a freezer bag. They will keep for a month in the freezer.
Defrost: Defrost them thoroughly in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: If they have been frozen, cook them following the instructions below. If already cooked, you can reheat them in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes until heated through.
Dannii's Top Tips
- When cutting the chicken, make sure you don't cut all the way through. You just want to make a little pocket.
- Make sure to use the toothpicks to secure the chicken breasts, so the filling doesn't ooze out.
- For some extra flavour, sprinkle the stuffed chicken breasts with some extra paprika and garlic before they go in the air fryer.
- Spray the stuffed chicken with some olive oil before it goes in the air fryer for extra crispiness.
- Chicken breasts vary in size, so try to choose ones that are the same size so they cook evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, these can be made in advance. You can stuff them and then keep them in the fridge up to 24 hours before needed. Let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking though.
Every air fryer is different, so the exact cooking times will depend on your air fryer. But cooking at 180°C they should take between 18 and 22 minutes. It will also depend on the thickness of your chicken.
We really can't rate the Ninja Foodi Max Dual highly enough. It has a huge 9.5 litre capacity, it allows you to cook two different things at once and it has 6 different cooking functions. It is 65% more efficient than an oven and uses 75% less fat than traditional cooking. It is also dishwasher safe.
This dish cooks in the air fryer for around 20 minutes, but the exact cooking time will depend on your air fryer and the size of your chicken breast. The best way to ensure that it is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 75°C/167°F at the thickest part of the meat.
More Chicken Recipes
If you've tried this air fryer stuffed chicken recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts - about 175g/6oz each
- 30 g (1 cups) Spinach - finely chopped
- 30 g (0.25 cups) Cheddar cheese - grated
- 40 g (0.25 cups) Cream cheese
- 0.5 teaspoon Garlic granules
- 0.5 teaspoon Paprika
- 4 Sun-dried tomatoes - finely chopped
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, add 30 g Cheddar cheese, 40 g Cream cheese, 30 g Spinach, 4 Sun-dried tomatoes, 0.5 teaspoon Garlic granules, 0.5 teaspoon Paprika and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Mix well.
- Slice 2 Chicken breasts with a sharp knife, making a pocket. Divide the cheese mixture between the chicken.
- Push a toothpick through the chicken to keep it closed. Put into the air fryer and cook on the Air Fry setting at 180°C/350℉ for 20 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- When cutting the chicken, make sure you don't cut all the way through. You just want to make a little pocket.
- Make sure to use the toothpicks to secure the chicken breasts, so the filling doesn't ooze out.
- For some extra flavour, sprinkle the stuffed chicken breasts with some extra paprika and garlic before they go in the air fryer.
- Spray the stuffed chicken with some olive oil before it goes in the air fryer for extra crispiness.
- Chicken breasts vary in size, so try to choose ones that are the same size so they cook evenly.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Heather North says
Did this in the oven and adapted slightly due to fussy eater but we really enjoyed this.
GG says
The spinach for the recipe: should you use fresh or frozen chopped?
Dannii Martin says
Always fresh.
Savita says
Loved the recipe, it was very easy to follow and cook. The stuffing was really good too.
Gina Abernathy says
Love these stuffed chicken breast. The filling was amazing.
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
Delicious filling and so easy in the air fryer! Definitely a do-over.
Maike says
This recipe made me fall in love with my air fryer! It's that good.
Casey says
OOH how yummy! These came out so tender and juicy and the filling was amazing!
Kim says
I was skeptical that they would be dry from the air fryer, but they were so tender and juicy! Delicious!
Chenee says
OOH Look at the filling in those! Looks absolutely delicious!
dina and bruce miller says
Love the filling ingredients. I want to try this and make it on the grill. I think if I put it on foil it will work. Can not wait to taste it!