A Stuffed Chicken Breast is a super easy, low carb, weeknight meal but also fancy enough to impress guests. It's versatile, protein packed and leftovers are delicious sliced up on a salad. We stuffed ours with goats cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, but there are lots of different options here.
Stuffing chicken breasts not only adds loads of flavour and makes them a little bit more exciting, but it stops them from drying out too. Some cheese and vegetables are a must, but other than that the options are almost endless. Just a few ingredients and it totally changes a simple baked chicken breast.
If you are looking for some other stuffed recipes, then why not try our Stuffed Butternut Squash, Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Tuna Stuffed Baked Potato or Stuffed Lamb Pita.
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Why should you try it?
- Only 250 calories - This is a low in calories, but protein packed main.
- An easy way to make chicken more exciting - We love chicken, and there is so much that you can do with it. But, we sometimes find ourselves stuck in a bit of a rut, with having it the same way. This is an easy way to make it more exciting, with little effort.
- Easy to adapt - There are so many different ingredients that you can stuff in to these chicken breasts. We have given our favourite options below.
- Kids can help make their own - Want to get your kids more involved in the kitchen? This is an easy recipe for them to help with.
What you will need
- Chicken breasts - We used skinless and boneless chicken breasts to keep this recipe nice and lean. The breasts need to be large enough to make big pockets in them for stuffing.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - These add SO much flavour. Try to make sure they are drained of as much oil as possible, so all the ingredients stay inside the chicken breast.
- Spinach - An easy way to give this dish a green vegetable boost. You could swap it for kale, but it would be a bit more chewy.
- Cheese - We used soft goats cheese in these stuffed chicken breasts because it has so much flavour and a little goes a long way. You could use a mature cheddar or even parmesan.
- Herbs - A little bit of fresh parsley mixed in with the breadcrumbs not only adds colour, but it lightens it up a little.
- Breadcrumbs - This gives a nice crispy coating to the chicken. We used panko, but white or wholewheat breadcrumbs would work too.
- Lemon - A little lemon zest mixed in to the breadcrumbs will add a lovely freshness to the dish.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 220°C/420°F/Gas 7. Slice off some goat cheese and finely chop the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
Two: Trim off any fat or gristly bits from the chicken breasts and then cut a deep pocket in each one. Add the cheese, spinach and tomatoes to the pocket in the chicken and then close it up.
Three (optional): Make the crust by mixing 4 tablespoon panko (or normal) breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoon chopped parsley and the zest of a lemon. Sprinkle on top of the chicken breasts.
Four: Put the chicken breasts in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
Variations
The options are pretty much endless here. We love a broccoli and cream cheese mixture or a finely chopped mushrooms and Swiss cheese. The key to stuffed chicken breasts is not over stuffing them, and using something that has lots of flavour, as you can't get much in them.
Roasted red pepper and Parmesan is another delicious combination, feta and olives or mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. There are so many different options.
If you want to make these stuffed chicken breasts a little bit more indulgent, and with a lot more flavour, then why not try wrapping them in bacon (or Parma ham if you are feeling really fancy). It will help to keep all the filling in the chicken and add a delicious smokiness and saltiness to it. Bacon wrapped stuffed chicken breasts are next level! If you like that idea, then try our Hunter's Chicken.
What to serve stuffed chicken with
We served this chicken with Baked Carrot Fries and Broccoli Salad. But it is also delicious with fries with our incredible Homemade French Fry Seasoning and some ranch slaw. However there are lots of options when it comes to side dishes.
If it is carbs you are looking for, then try our Creamy Mashed Potato, Air Fryer Fries, Greek Potatoes, Oven Baked Hash Browns or Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.
If it's something with crunch that you want as a side, then serve this hunters chicken with Sweetcorn Salsa, Little Gem Salad and Broccoli Slaw.
Give this dish a veggie boost by serving up some, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes or Cheesy Baked Broccoli Bites.
Frequently Asked Questions
This dish cooks in the oven for around 25-30 minutes, but the exact cooking time will depend on your oven. It will be cooked when the juices run clear, but that is a bit hard to tell with the BBQ sauce. 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.
You can keep the cooked chicken in the fridge for 2 days. It's really good sliced up on a salad. We wouldn't recommend reheating it though.
You can freeze these chicken breasts before they are cooked. Follow the recipe to stuff them, and then wrap them in clingfilm and put them in the freezer. Make sure they are fully defrosted before putting them in the oven. They may need a little longer to cook if they have been frozen and defrosted, so make sure to use a food thermometer to check they are cooked.
If you use gluten free breadcrumbs, and make sure there is no cross contamination, then these can be gluten free.
You need to make sure that the chicken breasts are big enough to cut a deep pocket in them so you can get all the stuffing in. If it is falling out, then you can use a couple of toothpicks to keep everything in. Make sure you remove them before eating.
We wouldn't recommend it, because they aren't big enough to stuff.
Chicken becomes dry when it is overcooked. Every oven cooks differently, so make sure you use a meat thermometer to check when the chicken is ready.
Extra tips
- Be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken. You want to just make a pocket to stuff it.
- If a lot of the mixture leaks out of the chicken when it is cooked, just leave it to cool a little bit and then stuff it back in.
- You can make these up and then freeze them before cooking. Make sure to defrost thoroughly before cooking.
- Leftovers are good sliced up and served on a salad.
- Make them a little more indulgent by wrapping them in bacon before cooking.
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Recipe
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 300 g chicken breasts
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes
- 60 g spinach roughly chopped
- 30 g soft goats cheese
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil
Herb crust (optional)
- 4 tablespoon panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley (or any herb you like)
- 1 lemon (zest only)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°C/420°F/Gas 7. Slice off some goat cheese and finely chop the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Trim off any fat or gristly bits from the chicken breasts and then cut a deep pocket in each one. Add the cheese, spinach, garlic, basil and tomatoes to the pocket in the chicken and then close it up.
- (optional) Make the crust by mixing 4 tablespoon panko (or normal) breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoon chopped parsley and the zest of a lemon. Sprinkle on top of the chicken breasts.
- Put the chicken breasts in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.
Notes
- Be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken. You want to just make a pocket to stuff it.
- If a lot of the mixture leaks out of the chicken when it is cooked, just leave it to cool a little bit and then stuff it back in.
- You can make these up and then freeze them before cooking. Make sure to defrost thoroughly before cooking.
- Leftovers are good sliced up and served on a salad.
- Make them a little more indulgent by wrapping them in bacon before cooking.
- You could wrap these in bacon or Parma ham and it would keep everything more secure, but obviously it the changes the nutritional information.
Jen
So delicious. I did gluten free chickpea crumbles in place of panko for the crust. Make the herb crust- not optional!
kim
Such a delicious recipe! This was way easier than I thought it would be and the whole family loved it! I will definitely make again!
Alice | SkinnySpatula
This stuffed chicken breast is a great idea. I wonder if it would work with a ricotta-spinach filling?
Jenn
What a fabulous looking recipe! I love how you stuffed the chicken breast - it looks so much easier this way! I'm going to try this recipe tomorrow!
Emily Liao
This stuffed chicken breast is so delicious! The chicken was extremely tender and the filling was just the right amount of spinach and cheese. Definitely making again!
Anita
I love these. The stuffing only needs minimal ingredients, but the chicken turned out very flavorful.
Farah Maizar
So beautifully vibrant! This looks like a wonderful dinner. I love anything with goat cheese and I'm sure I'll love this!
Alison
A super delicious and easy meal. Husband was thrilled by this low carb meal!
Sandhya's Kitchen
Such a fabulous way to enjoy Chicken Breast. I love the filling that goes into it!
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
This is such a tasty way to enjoy chicken breasts, and a great way to stop them drying out in the oven. I love goats cheese, such a good flavour and this is so versatile that it would be easy to make with different ingredients you have in already. A really satisfying supper.
Michelle
What a great way to spice up a chicken breast! And I love how low cal it is. Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Sisley White
This was such a delicious dinner and we all loved it. I usually put the mozzarelld on top with the sundries tomatoes but stuffing them inside worked a treat!
Danielle Wolter
I love using panko breadcrumbs with chicken. They give such a wonderful texture. this sounds just delicious!
Tami
This is still a favorite meal at our home. We make 4, for both dinner and lunches.
Sandra
Your recipes are great. Healthy food can taste good!
brandi
I think I will make this with kale instead of spinach, as that is what I have in my fridge at the moment. Maybe add some olives too. Thank you for the recipe.
Laura
This sounds amazing xx
Kelly
I am new to your blog and I love your recipes. So much that is new to me
Hayley
That is tomorrow's dinner sorted. My husband will love this too and he is so fussy.
Rachel
THANK YOU! I am so bored with plain chicken breast. I am going to make this with mozzarella tomorrow x