Creamy and cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken is so juicy and tasty. Searing on the stove then finishing it off in the oven ensures it is perfectly cooked in the center. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
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Spinach Stuffed Chicken Video
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Why You Will Love Stuffed Chicken Breast
We love stuffed chicken breast recipes from Stuffed Chicken Parmesan to Easy Chicken Kiev, and let’s not forget Chicken Pesto Roll-Ups. If you are looking for new chicken dinner ideas, this Spinach Stuffed Chicken is a must-try!
My brother-in-law Vitalik shared this Spinach Chicken with my husband and we lost no time in recreating the dish. Tender chicken stuffed with cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh chopped spinach. It was love at first bite! The filling becomes super creamy and cheesy in the oven and it keeps the chicken breast really juicy.
Ingredients for Stuffed Chicken
The key to making great stuffed chicken breasts is to use even-sized pieces. This way they all finish baking at the same time.
- Chicken Breast – we use 3 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts totaling about 1 3/4 to 2 lbs.
- 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
- Mayonnaise – makes the filling extra creamy so it melts easier without curdling. Mayo makes many things better!
- Garlic – adding fresh garlic cloves to the filling is a must. We use a garlic press for this.
- Spinach – freshly chopped spinach works great. See our notes below on substituting with frozen.
- Cheese – the combination of mozzarella and parmesan adds the perfect balance of saltiness and melty cheesiness.
How to Make Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Make Filling – use a fork to mash together cream cheese, mayo, minced garlic, and salt. Mash in chopped spinach, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Cut slits in chicken – lay chicken breast flat and use a sharp knife to cut a slit about 3/4 of the way into the chicken.
- Stuff chicken – fill each chicken breast with 1/3 of the mixture then seal edges with toothpicks.
- Sear chicken – heat a large 10″ oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and saute chicken 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 in the deepest part of your chicken registers 165˚F.
Pro Tip: Make sure you don’t cut all the way through the chicken so the filling is less likely to leak out. If you do, no problem, just seal the other side with a toothpick.
Common Questions:
Some very large chicken breasts will have a strip of chicken tender meat attached. Remove tenders and use them to make Crispy Chicken Tenders.
Chicken thighs are more difficult to seal and require a little more trimming of fat, but it would work to stuff thighs. Follow the method we used on our Stuffed Chicken Thighs Recipe.
Frozen spinach works if thawed and squeezed dry to remove the excess liquid.
If you cut three chicken breasts in half, you can easily serve 6 people with about 5 oz of chicken each. You can also use 4 small chicken breasts for 4 generous portions, just be sure to reduce the cooking time accordingly with smaller chicken breasts.
Serving Tip: Some of the fillings will escape and turn into tasty pan drippings. Spoon that yummy pan sauce over your chicken when serving.
How to Reheat Stuffed Chicken
Chicken breast is a lean protein so it can be challenging to reheat without it getting tough or having that reheated chicken taste. Stuffed chicken is best served fresh, but it does reheat well. Be sure the chicken reaches 165˚F in the center on a thermometer.
- Oven – this is the preferred method. Preheat oven to 325˚F, cover with foil to prevent drying out, and bake 10-15 minutes until hot.
- Stove-top – place in a lightly oiled skillet over low heat, cover, and saute until hot. Flip chicken at least once.
- Microwave – this is the least desirable method, but if you insist, cut chicken in half so the heat penetrates better. Sprinkle water and any pan juices over your chicken, heat on 50% power, and check at 30-45 second intervals until steaming hot throughout.
Cream cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast is adventurous and tastes like a restaurant-quality dish, but it’s really easy to prepare. I hope you absolutely love this recipe!
More Chicken Recipes to try
If you love this Stuffed Chicken then you won’t want to miss these easy chicken dinner ideas.
- Lemon Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Classic Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
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
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 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.
- Lay chicken on a flat surface and 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 lay flat on the sides for searing.
- 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.
- Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof pan such as cast iron, or large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté for 4 minutes per side until golden brown on each side.
- Flip a second time and immediately transfer skillet to preheated oven. Bake at 425˚F for 10-15 minutes until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers at 165˚F. Rest chicken 5 minutes before slicing. Spoon pan juices over chicken to serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
Made this and served the chicken breast on top of hot buttered noodles. The spinach and cheese on top of the noodles was fantastic. Thanks for another great meal
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Linda!
You say to stuff with 1/4 of mixture. What do I do with the remainder?
Love your recipes!
Never mind. Got it.
It helped to read the recipe more thoroughly.
Cerebral Flatulence. 🤓
Love your recipes!
I was wondering the same thing, Vel! Went back and read the recipe, and didn’t see what you did. I just figured it meant 1/3, as there are 3 chicken breasts. I may be having a senior moment, but just wondered how 1/4 works?
Hello Natasha, I was wondering if the filling would be able to be made a day or two in advance? Or is it better to just make it fresh right before cooking it? Thank you!
Hi Emily, I haven’t tried making this ahead and freezing it. If you experiment, please share with us how it goes!
I cannot wait to make this for my husband. He is going to love it! Thanks for sharing all of your tasty recipes with us.
I hope it becomes his new favorite!
My husband loved this chicken he wanted to lick the plate. I will be making this again for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Sandra!
Recently found out my husband is diabetic. So trying to experiment with chicken recipes. Found yours and made it tonight! What a hit! We both loved it! Served with riced cauliflower and grilled brussel sprouts. (He definitely got in his veggies!) this is a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you, Patti, for sharing that with us. I hope you and your husband will love all the recipes that you will try!
Can Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken be frozen? As long as I am making them, I want to freeze some
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried making this ahead and freezing it. If you experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Looking forward to making these tonight 🙂 question, if I want to just bake (not fry) should I stick with the 425 degrees and just leave it in for longer? Or turn down the Fahrenheit? Also, what would you recommend serving this with, a simple salad? Thank you!
Hi Nina, that may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I’ve made this twice now. The first time I had a lot of trouble threading the toothpicks into a stitch that would hold all the good stuff inside. So the second time I cut just much smaller hole towards the “pointy” end of the breast, and threaded the knife inside to create a pocket. Stuffing require using just a tablespoon at a time, and working it in with my fingertips. Then you can “squeeze” it up into the cavity. When the breast was full, I simply folded that pointy tail end over the hole and pinned it with a toothpick. Much better for me, at any rate, and I still got enough spill over for the pan drippings!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Bill!
I prepared this for me and my husband tonight, and it came out delicious! I baked two enormous chicken breasts (they were easily three servings each), so I doubled the cheese mixture and used about 1/3 of it to toss into some thin spaghetti pasta noodles as the side dish. A+ recipe, I will definitely make it again.
Great to hear that it was a success! Thanks for the review, Jen. I’m glad this recipe turned out great!
Seriously unbelievably good. My family asked for more but unfortunately there was none. I guess there will have to be a double recipe next time. Who knew? Thank you so very much.
I’m so glad to hear that, Barb! That is the best when the family loves what we moms make! That’s so great!
I made this last night and my family loved it!!! The spinach stuffing makes a great dip too!!
You are an inspiration to watch!! Thanks for blessing us with your fabulous recipes!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I finally got around to making this and it was delicious! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Chris!
We loved these stuffed chicken breasts and I so enjoy your videos! You made a comment about how to keep your hands clean. Well, I guess I’m bit of a diva. I do not like getting my hands dirty in the kitchen, so I keep a box of surgical gloves under the sink and pull a couple out for recipes like this. They’re cheap and can be found in almost any pharmacy. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Sharon!
I am going to make the cheesy stuffed chicken for my wife and I for dinner tonight. The video was well done – excellent visuals and explanation with just the right amount of humor. I also liked all the information on the web page. Thanks and good luck with your project.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
Soooo good!!! Please make this! It is delicious! My husband said it was so good he would definitely order this at a restaurant! I was so proud of myself for making such a delicious dinner! Thank you Natasha!
Hello Linda, thank you for your wonderful review. I’m glad you and your husband loved the recipe!
I made these the other day. They were so good. The chicken breast was nice and juicy and the stuffing had just the right amount of good cheesy variety. I used the left over stuffing to make cheese beef rolls.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thought of a genius way to reuse the stuffing!
Very picky husband loved this! As did I. It’s easy! I like to make the filling earlier in the day (weekend meal). Makes dinner time prep quick. Also sitting in the fridge really brings out the garlic. Natasha, any thoughts on making the filling & refrigerating until ready to stuff ? I just mean a few hours earlier.
Great to hear that, Mickey! 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.
This was easy and delicious! Even my non-chicken loving husband said he’d eat it again!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Heather!
I added pepperoni slices in the stuffing. Also, battered and fried the chicken before I stuffed it and finished it in the oven to make sure it was fully cooked. Was so, so good.
Sounds good, Dyan. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can you make nothing bundt cake recipes please?
Hi Sierra, we currently have a cranberry bundt cake recipe and are working on adding more to our collection. Do you have any suggestions?
Can you make Cheesecake Factory oreo cheesecake, fried oreos, funnel cake from scratch, and Crumbl cookies recipes please?
Hi Tanya, thank you for the suggestions.