Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast is a juicy, cheesy chicken dinner that feels fancy but is easy enough for a weeknight. Tender chicken breasts are filled with a creamy spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, and cream cheese, then seared and baked until golden on the outside and melty in the center.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast Video
This is one of those 30-minute chicken dinners that looks impressive without being complicated. Serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or a simple salad for a complete meal.
Helpful Reader Review
“Utterly delicious! Super easy to make yet tastes just like something you would get at a restaurant. My whole family gobbled it up. Will be making this again and again!” – Allison ★★★★★
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Chicken Breast
My brother-in-law Vitalik shared this spinach chicken idea with my husband, and we couldn’t wait to recreate it. It was love at first bite. The creamy spinach and cheese filling melts into the chicken as it bakes, keeping every bite juicy and flavorful.
This recipe feels special enough for company, but it’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner. You’ll sear the chicken first for great flavor, then finish it in the oven so the center cooks through without drying out.
Ingredients for Stuffed Chicken Breast
The key to making great stuffed chicken breasts is to use even-sized pieces so they all finish baking at the same time.
- Chicken Breast – I use 3 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts totaling about 1 3/4 to 2 lbs. Chicken thighs are harder to seal and take a little more trimming, but they can work. Follow the method from my Stuffed Chicken Thighs Recipe.
- Seasoning – salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to season the outside of the chicken.
- Cream Cheese – use 4 oz of cold block-style cream cheese
- Garlic – adding fresh garlic cloves to the filling is a must. We use a garlic press for this.
- Mayonnaise – makes the filling extra creamy, so it melts smoothly.
- Spinach – freshly chopped spinach works great, but you can also use frozen spinach if it’s thawed and squeezed dry.
- Cheese – the combination of mozzarella and parmesan adds the perfect balance of saltiness and melty cheesiness.
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Breast
Be sure to use an oven-safe saute pan to sear the stuffed chicken breast so you can then finish it in the oven.
- Make Filling – use a fork to mash together cream cheese, mayo, minced garlic, and salt, and then mash in chopped spinach, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Cut slits in chicken – lay the chicken breast flat on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut a slit about 3/4 of the way into the chicken. If you accidentally cut all the way through, just use a toothpick to close both sides.
- Stuff chicken – fill each chicken breast with 1/3 of the stuffing mixture, and then seal the pocket with toothpicks.
- Sear chicken – heat a large 10″ oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and saute stuffed chicken breast 4 minutes per side until browned.
- Bake – Transfer your hot skillet to the preheated oven at 425˚F for about 10-15 minutes, depending on chicken thickness, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165˚F. Don’t worry if some filling escapes, just spoon the pan drippings over the chicken to serve.
Tips for the Best Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Use even-sized chicken breasts – They will cook more evenly and finish at the same time.
- Don’t cut all the way through – Cut a deep pocket, about 3/4 of the way through the chicken, so the filling stays tucked inside.
- Secure with toothpicks – This helps hold the filling in place while the chicken sears and bakes.
- Use an instant-read thermometer – Chicken breast is done when the thickest part reaches 165°F.
What to Serve with Stuffed Chicken Breast
This stuffed chicken breast is rich and creamy, so it pairs well with these simple sides.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Buttered Homemade Pasta
- Roasted Asparagus
- Focaccia or Dinner Rolls
- Caesar Salad
- Roasted Broccoli
This cheesy stuffed chicken breast is one of those recipes that looks impressive but is very doable. The creamy spinach filling keeps the chicken juicy, and the pan drippings make it even better. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
For the Chicken Breasts:
- 3 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (1 3/4 to 2 lbs, even-sized pieces)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
For the Filling:
- 4 oz cream cheese, cold
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed with a garlic press, or minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make filling – Preheat oven to 425˚F with a rack in the center. In a mixing bowl, mash together cream cheese, mayo, and garlic with a fork, then stir in mozzarella, parmesan, and chopped spinach leaves until combined.
- Cut slits in chicken – Lay chicken on a flat surface and with a sharp knife, cut slit 3/4 of the way through without cutting all the way through. Stuff each chicken breast with 1/3 of the mixture and seal horizontally with a toothpick (make sure the chicken breast can lie flat on the sides for searing.
- Stuff chicken – Season the outside of the chicken breast all over with 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika, or season to taste.
- Sear chicken – Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof pan such as cast iron, or a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté for 4 minutes per side until golden brown on each side.
- Bake – Flip a second time and immediately transfer skillet to preheated oven. Bake at 425˚F for 10-15 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers at 165˚F. Rest the chicken 5 minutes before slicing. Remove the toothpicks and spoon the pan juices over the chicken to serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can stuff the chicken breasts a few hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before searing so they cook more evenly.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm in a covered skillet over low heat or in the oven until heated through. Avoid overheating, or the chicken can dry out.
- Freeze: I don’t love freezing this one because the creamy filling can change texture after thawing.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Chicken Dinner Recipes
If you love this stuffed chicken breast recipe, try these easy chicken dinner ideas next:
- Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
- Easy Chicken Kiev
- Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups
- Lemon Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Classic Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Honey Glazed Chicken Breast
Prepared half recipe and it was delicious. Wrapped bacon around chicken and secured with toothpicks. Used Air Fryer. Preheated 3 minutes at 400 F and cooked for 15 minutes, flipping once. Perfect.
I’m so glad that worked halving this recipe, Donna! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This was sooo good! I love the fact that you didn’t use a huge amount of salt in the recipe. This was a huge hit with my family – it tasted like a warm hug! Perfect with mashed potatoes. Thanks so much! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Bri. Thank you as well for your wonderful comments and review!
I love your recipes! If I don’t have an oven prove skillet can I sear it on a regular skillet and then transfer to Pyrex tray for the over?
Hi Olga, I bet that would work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Stuffed chicken breasts – I have done frequently. My favourite is one I first tasted in England, in Devon. It was stilton stuffed chicken breast and was served with a sauce. I have done this here many times and have even made a stilton-based sauce, but this may be too much ‘stilton taste’ for some.
Glad to know that you like this recipe!
I made the cheesy spinach stuffed chicken last night. Outstanding flavor, moist, and si easy to prepare. It’s definitely a keeper in my recipe box. Thank you Natasha for another amazing dish!
You’re welcome, Colleen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out perfectly, just like all of your recipes!
That’s awesome feedback, Charlotte. Thank you!
I just made this for my husband and I and it’s so delicious! Resturant style! Better! Thank you for influencing my life out of my everyday meals of fourty something years of cooking! I rave about you on Facebook and with my family I send photos to my adult children snd friends!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I’m making this tomorrow and plan to add a bit of chopped sun dried tomatoes and roasted artichoke hearts to the filling!
Yum! I hope you love this recipe!
My son loves collecting recipes and trying out new ones. (So we have a LOT of recipes.) He’s never been a fan of spinach but suggested this recipe.
He LOVED it!!! We all really enjoyed it. We did find it a but too salty. It may be the added salt or maybe the cheese was salty — we’ll just cut it back a bit for next time.
Can’t wait to make this again. I love that it was relatively QUICK.
Sounds good for next time, just adjust the saltiness on your next try. I’m glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing your great comments and feedback with us.
I made this for my family the other night. Huge hit and now another favorite. Anytime I look for a new recipe now I look on your site first! xoxo
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Catherine!
I haven’t found a recipe of yours yet that isn’t delicious! Another one for the recipe box! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this lovely review Lindsay!!
I need a low sodium, carb counting diet for my husband who has diabetes, congestive heart failure, & kidney disease. I like the fact that you put the nutrition info on it but it doesn’t say if the serving is a full chicken breast or one cut in half. Could you please let me know? Also, if you could ever come up with any recipes that are low sodium & low carb it would be extremely helpful. There are so MANY people on a low sodium (2,000 mg per DAY) & low carb (75 carbs per meal) restriction because of health reasons. There’s really no recipes I can find that he says have any flavor. Anything you can help me with I would appreciate.
HI Suzanne we have the serving size towards the top of the recipe card. So this is based on 6 servings (i.e. 6 halves which total 3 large chicken breasts). I’m sorry to hear about all of the health issues. I hope you both enjoy the recipe.
Ma’am! That was absolutely fantastic! I did the chickens in halves but stuffed. Same recipe, time, they will now be a favorite! Thank you for making it so easy!
You are very welcome! Glad you loved this recipe.
Just the best… Wrapped with bacon and toothpick to keep Everything in.
Yes, this is so good and one of our favorites too! Thanks for your good review, Steve.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Everyone at the office was jealous of my leftovers for lunch! I can’t wait to make it again.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Janae!
This recipe is AMAZING! Fairly easy to make and tastes like something you’d get at a very expensive restaurant
Isn’t it great!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Natalie! Thank you for your lovely review!
Thank you Natasha for sharing your recipes. I’m cooking this tonight and it smells GREAT. I’m so excited to taste it, I have made several of your recipes and I know this one will be as GREAT as all the others. You inspire me.
I hope it becomes your new favorite!
Do you think you can stuff these in advance … say morning of?
Hi Barbara, I think that would work then cover and refrigerate. I would let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes before sauteeing for more even cooking.
The next morning after I made this, my husband said he thought about it in bed last night… He loved it!! said it was nothing like he has ever had before… LQQks like a regular here….Thank you..
Oh wow, that is such a great compliment. Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
My Goodness, I made this yesterday with a salad and the cranberry vinaigrette, WOW. Your recipes are always true to how it’s written. Thanks so much.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha,
I can’t wait to try this recipe out! I’m interested in the bacon mushroom one too😊 I love watching all your videos, and trying out your food. I haven’t had one I didn’t enjoy yet😋 I did want to ask how do I find out where in the comments you post your garlic press?
Thanks,
Roxy
Hi Roxy, you can find our favorite kitchen tools in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE. But, in the Youtube video, click to watch the video on Youtube, a new window should open. Then click on the “Show More” button below my video description.