This stuffed chicken with goat cheese and spinach recipe is great if you are craving something different, or if you have guests coming over and want to impress. It’s fairly easy. You could make it ahead of time and then bake it at the last minute (although fresh is always better).
Skinless boneless chicken breasts. Four ounces of goat cheese. Three ounces of chopped spinach leaves. Four baby carrots, shredded then measured. I had all of this in my fridge and was looking for something to make with them…
STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE FILLING
Easy 7-ingredient spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken breast made from start to finish in 35 minutes! This healthy dish is full balanced, bursting with garlic and goat cheese flavor, and is loaded with protein!
GOAT CHEESE AND SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST
Stuffing chicken helps keep a beautifully juicy meat with loads of flavor! This recipe is quick, easy, healthy, keto, grain-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Meat – Lean chicken breasts, preferably organic. Trim any extra fat first before stuffing the chicken.
- Filling – A rich filling or “stuffing” made of chopped spinach, goat cheese, fresh basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. That is it! Nothing too fancy, but it tastes like your dining at a gourmet five-star restaurant!
HOW TO MAKE STUFFED CHICKEN
The proper equipment is key to cooking meats and poultry successfully. Then slice and tenderize the chicken breasts for even baking, and finally stuff them full!
EQUIPMENT
When cooking meat, chicken and turkey (poultry) should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and should not be pink, bloody, or chewy. The best and only way to know if cooked chicken meat is done is using a meat thermometer. It is the one tool I really do use for all my meat and grilling recipes!
SLICE THE CHICKEN
Slice the chicken breasts horizontally but not fully in half. You want one side to still remain intact so if you were to open the chicken it would be in the shape of a heart.
TENDERIZE THE MEAT
Tenderizing chicken breasts prior to stuffing and baking is a great way to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked (and makes the meat even more tender). Place the chicken in a large Zip-lock bag and seal it closed. With a meat tenderizer give it a few good wacks until the chicken is thin, flat and even then place the chicken breasts in a 9×13-inch baking dish. If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, you can find one here!
MAKE THE FILLING
Make the filling by mixing together the spinach, goat cheese, basil, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a bowl.
Open a flap of the breast and stuff the filing into each piece of chicken and fold the flap back over. Repeat for all the chicken breasts.
BAKE THE CHICKEN BREAST
Bake the stuffed chicken breasts in a baking dish at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked to a safe temperature.
I personally love this ChefsTemp meat thermometer! It is small and convenient, has high accuracy, reads in 2-3 seconds, has an option to hold, comes on right when it is opened, is waterproof, and easy to clean!
You can also drizzle with olive oil and balsamic reduction before serving for even more mouthwatering taste.
SUCCESS TIPS
- Make sure the chicken breasts are tenderized all over, especially on the thicker part to flatten it so that the meat cooks evenly.
- Once the spinach thaws, discard the extra liquid before mixing and stuffing the chicken. If heating on the stove the extra liquid will naturally evaporate.
- When checking for doneness with a meat thermometer, make sure to insert it at the thickest part, and at the bottom of the chicken. If it hits the center where the filling is it may give a false read.
REHEATING STUFFED CHICKEN
To reheat this stuffed chicken breast recipe warm them in an oven-safe dish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for about 15 minutes or until heated through.
Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Caramelized Onions + Mushrooms
Goat cheese & spinach stuffed chicken breast make an amazing low carb and keto-friendly dinner! These baked chicken breasts are easily cut ‘hasselback style’ then stuffed with creamy cheese + nutritious spinach and served with caramelized onions and mushrooms for the ultimate healthy dinner!
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 30 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 45 MINS
It’s been a while since I’ve given you an easy weeknight dinner recipe. Rest assured your girl is back and ready to get you cooking in the kitchen and dancing while you do it.
What could be better than this easy goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken recipe that’s made in one pan, takes only 30 minutes and is healthy & delicious?!
How to make stuffed chicken breast
This spinach stuffed chicken recipe is easier to make than most stuffed chicken breast recipes because instead of having to butterfly and pound a chicken breast down, you simply cut the chicken ‘hasselback style’ on top, stuff it with cooked spinach and goat cheese (or cheese of choice), then bake it in the oven and you’re done. Here’s how to make stuffed chicken breast:
- Step 1: Use a sharp knife to hasselback each chicken breast, and cut 6 slits into the top of each breast, making sure you don’t cut all the way through to the bottom of the chicken breast. Drizzle each chicken breast with a little olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Step 2: Cook the spinach filling and then add to a bowl with goat cheese to combine the mixture.
- Step 3: Add cheese and spinach filling the slits in the chicken breast.
- Step 4. Bake until chicken is completely cooked and meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
How long to cooked stuffed chicken
Since chicken breasts tend to vary in sizes, I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken breast is fully cooked; the temperature should read 165 degrees F. Typically, I cook my chicken breasts at 375 degrees F anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on their size.
What you need to make stuffed chicken
Ingredients: chicken breast, olive oil, spinach, garlic powder and cheese of choice — I prefer to use goat cheese but cream cheese or mozzarella would also be excellent options. I also give the option of adding caramelized mushrooms and onions with thyme, which creates an amazing slightly sweet sauce for the chicken to cook in.
Tools you’ll need: I recommend an oven-safe skillet and a meat thermometer for this recipe.
HASSELBACK CHICKEN WITH SPINACH + GOAT CHEESE
Hasselback Chicken- Seriously! This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make super delicious and flavorful chicken breasts. By making slits in the chicken breasts (Hasselback) and stuffing them with tasty things like spinach and goat cheese, you’ll get a hit of savory cheesy goodness in every bite!
Spinach + Creamy Goat Cheese Hasselback Chicken- I ♥ you! You are my new favorite way to cook chicken.
WHAT IS HASSELBACK ?
If you havent heard of “Hasselback” before it’s a technique originally developed at a restaurant in Sweden (called Restaurant Hasselbacken (or so the story goes) where they made small slits in a potato (kind of like an accordion) and stuffed them with bacon and cheese. The results, crispy potato outside, soft potato inside and goodness (bacon and cheese) in every bite. These days you’ll see lots of things that have been cut “Hasselback” like apples, sweet potatoes and now chicken.
HOW TO MAKE HASSELBACK CHICKEN:
Here’s how easy Spinach + Creamy Goat Cheese Hasselback chicken really is:
1.Start off by cooking the fresh spinach until it becomes slightly wilted (about 3-5 min) adding the goat cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want a bit of heat (totally optional) and cooking until the goat cheese melts (about 1 min)
2. Cut slits (about 1/2 inch apart) across the chicken breast, about 3/4 of the way through the breast(careful not to cut all the way through).
3. Stuff each slit with the spinach and goat cheese mixture.
4. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
5. Add a little mozzarella cheese (or cheddar) and pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes. That’s it!
I switched my oven from bake to broil for the last 10 min. of cooking so the cheese would get extra bubbly and browned.
See…a bit of spinach and goat cheese in EVERY bite. My mind is going crazy with all the different things I can stuff into the next batch of Hasselback chicken! how about:
Apple, ham and cheddar
Bacon & Blue cheese
Wild rice and mushrooms
So many options! What will you stuff your chicken with? (because I know once you try this you’re going to be hooked too!)