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
Made extra filling and had a lot left. So I added heavy cream to it in a sauce pan and made the best spinach cheese dip ever!¡
Hi Kevin! That’s a great way to use up extra. 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
Perfection.
The chicken breasts I had were very large, so I doubled the cheese mixture and increased the oven cook time by about 15 minutes and they were melt-in-your mouth deliciousness.
Thank you (again) Natasha!
You’re welcome! So glad you loved it.
Hi Natasha! This stuffed chicken looks yummy! What do you recommend serving it with? We just recently make your pesto chicken roll-ups and they were divine! Everyone kept raving about them. Thanks for sharing all of your delicious recipes! Your recipes are all I will make now.
Hi Brooke, This goes great with potatoes or rice!
Made this last night. Absolutely delicious. Thank you Natasha for another great recipe.
You’re welcome. So glad it was a hit.
Wow! Just finished my portion and it is delicious. I used SMOKED SALT and it makes all the difference. Five minutes before baking was done, I topped each breast with a slice of fresh mozzarella and let it melt. For sure use a meat thermometer to prevent drying out. Definitely going in the recipe rotation.
Sounds wonderful! I’m glad you had a great experience with this recipe, thank you for sharing that with us, Veronica.
If I make this the day before for company, what would be the best way to reheat?
Hi! See the “How to Reheat Stuffed Chicken” instructions in the post above. 🙂
OMG! Delicious! I doubled the spinach cheese mixture because I had 5 really large boneless chicken breasts I had bought on sale. I often tweak new recipes so I halfway fried up 5 thick slices of applewood bacon. I used the bacon to help keep the spinach cheese stuffing from escaping. I also sauteed the extra fresh spinach I had and a small onion thinly sliced in the bacon grease. Served the chicken on a bed of couscous with the sauteed spinach and onions and fresh microgreens on top! Definitely a keeper! Thank you for this recipe!
Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, great to hear that you loved the results!
Great recipe! It was easy to make. Next time I’ll read the whole recipe, I didn’t read to the end and just put it in the oven to cook. Thankfully it turned out good. We loved it. I will definitely make again.
I’m glad it all worked out, Patricia! Yes, I highly recommend reading through and watching the full recipe before starting to make it.
Great recipe. I substituted some blue cheese for the feta and than coated the stuffed breasts with shake and bake mixture.
Thank you, Bob! Glad you loved the recipe.
Made this for the first time tonight. Awesome, my husband loved it.
Thank you for trying my recipe, Ann! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Another perfect, delicious recipe!! Your recipes turn out sooo good that I am excited about cooking again!! Thank you so much!!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Yet another winner Natasha! Thanks for the inspiration, we altered a bit by using 1 cup spinach and 1 cup of mushrooms, and it was a huge hit.
Thank you for sharing, Christina! I’m glad you loved it!
Hi Natasha, I’ve made this before and it was delish. I’m wondering if I could stuff the chicken, refrigerate it (raw) then cook it the next day.
Thank you
I think that will be fine. I hope you’ll love it!
I make this about every other week it is so good I could even serve to company nice presentation thank you
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rebecca! I agree, this is the perfect meal for company!
This was fantastic! My hubby is a not fussy but he definitely likes good food. He was skeptical at first, but at the end of dinner he stated that it was a keeper! We had it with brown rice and I used the rest of spinach, cooked in pan drippings..thank you so much!
You are very welcome! Thanks for sharing that with us, we appreciate your feedback.
I have made this SEVERAL times, always perfect !!! We’re having this for Thanksgiving instead of turkey thus year !!!
So glad you love this recipe, Connie! Thank you for sharing.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is delicious!! I made this a couple months ago and the family loved it. I’ve given this recipe to several ppl and will be making it again today. I have loved every recipe of yours that I have tried and that is a lot. lol Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s a hit. Thank you for sharing, Linda!
Very good. Made the recipe exactly as posted and it turned out perfect. Will make again!
That’s wonderful, Mary! So glad it turned out for you.
Stuffed Chicken Breast was out standing great to make everyone loved it . Thanks
Glad to hear that, Michael! 🙂
I would like to make this tonight. What side dish can I serve with this?
Hi Isabel! This goes great with potatoes.