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.
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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
This is the bomb! Using the toothpicks to hold it together is a great solution. The filling hardly leaked out at all! I used the Parmesan from a bottle and used cheddar in place of mozzarella. It was easy and delicious, what’s not to love? My husband is currently bragging it up.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mindy!
I made this tonight. It was a hit. I altered it for 4 chicken breasts, they were large, but it was fantastic & everyone’s plates were cleaned.
The dog even got in on some left overs
🙂
Glad to hear that, Tari! Thank you for sharing.
wondering if i could use miracle whip instead of mayo…any thoughts?
Hi Frank, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you do an experiment, please update us on how it goes.
Hi Natasha! Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m not sure if my pan is oven-safe. After frying each side, could I transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the oven that way?
Hi Michelle! All oven-proof frying pans should have a symbol of an oven on the bottom of them that tells you that it is oven-proof. If you cannot find a symbol, it should be fine to use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Can I use spring salad mix instead of “just” spinach? I wondered if it would be too bitter – but maybe that would be a good thing! 🙂
Hi Sonia! I have never tested that to advise. Let us know how it turns out if you try.
This was AMAZING!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Lynn!
Made this tonight, whole family of very picky eaters loved it. Very easy, and fairly quick. I used kebab sticks instead of toothpicks as I had large chicken breasts. Would highly recommend this recipe and will definitely make again. Thank you.
Hi Nickie! I”m so glad your family loved this recipe. Thank you for the review.
Hi, can I air fry this? This recipe looks so delicious, I bought all the ingredients this morning.
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried this in an air fryer, but here’s what one of my readers wrote, I hope it’s helpful: “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.”
Instead of using toothpicks to seal the chicken, use spaghetti noodles instead. The noodles will soften while baking.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Steve!
Thanks sooo much for this ! It’s definitely made a couple times a month- I’m so sloppy I left out the toothpicks altogether- iron skillet so who needs them typically make 4 with the same ingredients-although the first time I did broccoli because it’s what I had also we have done spring mix and spinach and jalapeños once- just can’t go wrong my son always wants them wrapped in bacon and he gets his way tonight but thank you so much!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Missy!
I made it! Quick and easy recipe! Next time I will need to keep count of the number of toothpicks I used, and all the chicken breast didn’t make it, lol
This is a great Keto recipe! It’s delicious and very satisfying plus it’s easy to prepare and doesn’t take long to cook.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Barbara! 🙂
Great Recipe. Love all of your recipes, they are so easy to make. Keep the videos coming.
Thank you!
I made this when I was tired and had to double recipe for family. I forgot the mayo but still came out great. I added extra parm and stuffing on top
Hello Sarah, that’s good that you still liked it even without the mayo. Thanks for sharing that with us!
i just ran out of mayo. what can i use to sub with?
Can i also flat out and roll the the chicken?
Hi Kimberly, the mayo really helps make this recipe creamy and I have not tried any substitution to advise. I think that will work!
I made this dish and my wife loved it. Very easy and a great brunch food. Thank you
Happy to hear that, Damon! Thank you for your awesome comments and feedback.
Outstanding recipe! We did use chicken thighs that were flattened with a mallet. So good. Next time, I will double the recipe for leftovers.
Sounds delicious! So glad it was enjoyed, thank you for the review.
I made these chicken breasts for my family and they were delicious!! They want this every week now!! Thanks Natasha for another winner.
That’s wonderful! So glad to hear that, Rob. Thank you for the review.
This is a Great Recipe. 5 Stars. I am a Single Man and I don’t cook very often because most Recipes make more than I can eat. This recipe makes 3 dinners and I have 2 Stuffed chicken Breast left. Can I freeze the other 2 and if so,what is the best way to rewarm them?
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe. I haven’t tried freezing this, if you experiment please let us know how it goes. Stuffed chicken is best served fresh, but it does reheat well so if you are interested in that, see recipe notes for instructions on how to reheat this.
I don’t want to use regular chicken breasts I’d rather use thin sliced chicken breasts… any thoughts on that?
Hi, Elizabeth we prefer it this way, but if you happen to try it that way, I’d like to know how you like it!