Try this delicious spinach stuffed chicken breast with cream cheese! This naturally low carb and keto dinner is ready in only 30 minutes, and it will be an instant family favorite. Don’t count on having leftovers, because this easy meal has everyone coming back for more!
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
A lot of stuffed chicken breast recipes rely on searing the chicken until it’s golden, then baking it to finish cooking the chicken. I’m a big fan of not turning on the oven unless I have to, so this recipe doesn’t use the oven at all.
You will need a heavy bottomed lidded skillet so that you can sear the chicken, then add chicken broth and the lid to allow the chicken to steam until it’s cooked. It’s seriously juicy, delicious, and so easy.
This recipe uses frozen spinach. An important tip with frozen spinach is to try to use a newer pack from your freezer. It’s one of those ingredients that likes to absorb the flavors from everything else in your freezer, so if you happen to be storing a pack of frozen spinach next to a bag of frozen shrimp for a long time, your meal won’t turn out the best.
You could definitely use fresh spinach if that’s what you have on hand. Just be sure to slice it thinly before mixing it into the filling.
If you want to add in other some other flavors, I’d recommend trying diced artichoke hearts, bacon bits, extra minced garlic, sliced curly kale, or diced sun-dried tomatoes. You could also serve this with some warmed up marinara sauce for dipping – it’s such a great combination!
What’s The Best Way To Stuff Chicken Breast?
Start by butterflying the chicken breast. To do this, you’ll slice through the chicken breast horizontally, and stop slicing when you’re about about 1/2″ away from the far edge. Then you’ll pound the chicken to an even thickness. Here’s a video showing you how to correctly butterfly chicken breast.
Next, you’ll stuff the chicken breast with the cheesy spinach filling. Use toothpicks to secure the edges of the chicken together around the filling while it cooks, then remove the toothpicks before serving.
How do you stuff chicken breast without toothpicks? If you don’t have any toothpicks on hand, you can use spaghetti (or gluten free spaghetti) broken into toothpick sized pieces. It’s important to use spaghetti, because any thinner pasta won’t be strong enough to hold the chicken together.
What Kind Of Cheese Should I Use?
This recipe uses a combination of cream cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella to make the filling. The type of cheese is totally up to you and your preference though.
For the spreadable cheese you could use: cream cheese, Boursin, ricotta, or even crumbled feta mixed with a little mayonnaise.
For the shredded cheese you could use: mozzarella, pepper jack, Swiss, parmesan, or gouda.
What Is A Good Side Dish For Stuffed Chicken Breast?
Since this a cheesy chicken recipe, I like to keep the side dishes light and easy. So many vegetables go well with chicken, but some of my favorites are:
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Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
Try this delicious spinach stuffed chicken breast with cream cheese! Don’t count on having leftovers, because this easy meal has everyone coming back for more!
Ingredients
Cheesy Spinach Filling:
- 5 ounces frozen chopped spinach (thawed, half of a 10 ounce package, roughly 150 grams)
- 1/4 cup freshly finely grated mozzarella
- 1/4 cup freshly finely grated parmesan
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened, 1/2 block)
- 1 - 2 medium cloves garlic (depending on taste preference, very finely diced)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Chicken:
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons oil (olive, grapeseed, vegetable, and canola all work)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (if you’re gluten free, substitute this with a certified gluten free chicken bouillon of choice)
Instructions
- Start by butterflying the chicken breast. To do this, you'll slice through the chicken breast horizontally, and stop slicing when you're about about 1/2" away from the far edge. Then you'll pound the chicken to an even thickness.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Season the inside and outside of each breast with the spice mixture.
- In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, cream cheese, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to make the spinach filling. Stuff each breast with 1/3 of the filling. Secure each breast closed using two toothpicks (I cut off the extra length of each toothpick to make sauteing them easier).
- Heat a lidded heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the olive oil, swirl to coat the pan.
- Place the chicken in the pan on the thinner side and saute uncovered for 4 minutes (it should be golden when you flip it). Carefully flip using tongs, and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Mix together the water and bouillon and add to the pan. Turn the temperature down to medium low and place the lid on the skillet. Cook for 5 - 8 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken is no longer pink and reads at least 165 F on a meat thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet, remove the toothpicks, and serve hot.
Notes
You can use fresh spinach if that's what you have on hand, just be sure to slice it into thin pieces before mixing it into the filling.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 20.4gCarbohydrates: 3.9gNet Carbohydrates: 2.9gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 25.5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Try making this easy spinach stuffed chicken breast using frozen spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan.
