If you’re looking for a weeknight recipe but also want something to serve for special occasions, you need to make this spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe! Not only is it super simple to make, but it is so flavorful. You’ll want to make it again and again!
With tender and juicy chicken breasts filled with creamy spinach stuffing, this recipe is an instant upgrade for plain chicken breasts. Even better, it is so cheesy, thanks to the cream cheese and parmesan, so even the pickiest of eaters will want to finish their plate.
And did I mention how easy this recipe is? You only need one skillet, so cleaning up is a breeze. You use an oven-safe skillet to go from stovetop to oven, ensuring the chicken is not just perfectly browned but stays moist as well. If you want another easy chicken dinner recipe, then try my chicken fajitas recipe, chicken parmesan recipe, or chicken florentine recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Spinach — I recommend using baby spinach as they are more tender, especially the stem. Baby spinach is also sweeter than regular, mature spinach.
Cream cheese — I highly recommend using full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor. Make sure to use cream cheese in a block form and not cream cheese from a tub.
Mayonnaise — using full-fat mayonnaise adds a ton of flavor and richness to the filling.
Parmesan — when possible, grate your own parmesan cheese as pre-grated parmesan will not melt as smoothly.
Seasoning — I season the chicken breasts with salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper, but feel free to use your favorite seasoning blend.
Chicken — try to buy chicken breasts that are almost the same thickness so they all cook evenly.
How to Make Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
1. In a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the spinach and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach is wilted and vibrant green. Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. To the spinach mixture, add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Mix until fully combined. Set aside.
3. Create pockets in the chicken breasts by cutting a slit on one long end of the breast and cutting into the center of each piece, being careful not to cut through the back or sides of the breast. Season them with salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper.
4. Stuff each piece with spinach mixture (about ¼ cup each).
5. Seal the open end of the chicken breasts with a toothpick to secure them if needed.
6. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the chicken registers 165°F. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Make sure you don’t accidentally cut all the way through the chicken breast. If you cut through to the back, the filling will leak out. If you do cut too far, you can seal the breast back together with some toothpicks. Just make sure you remember to remove them before serving.
- When measuring the internal temperature of the stuffed chicken breast, make sure you are measuring the actual chicken and not the spinach stuffing.
- If you have leftover spinach artichoke dip, you can use that instead of making the spinach filling from scratch for this stuffed chicken breast with spinach recipe.
- Don’t skip browning the chicken breasts in the skillet. Browning the chicken adds a ton of extra flavor and gives it a nice texture.
- Room temperature cream cheese will mix much more easily than cream cheese straight out of the oven. If you had forgotten to take it out ahead of time, heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds at 50% power to soften it.
- Letting the chicken rest will allow the moisture to redistribute in the chicken to ensure moist, juicy bites of chicken. If you serve it too early, all the juices will run out after your first cut!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you only have frozen spinach, make sure you thaw it ahead of time. Then, squeeze out all the water from the thawed spinach before adding it to your skillet.
Chicken thighs are more difficult to stuff and seal in comparison to chicken breasts. While you could swap them, I suggest sticking to chicken breasts for this recipe.
If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet to go from stovetop to oven, you can transfer the browned chicken to a greased baking dish to bake.
Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the stuffed chicken breasts to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave.
You can freeze these chicken breasts stuffed with spinach! After they’ve cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Large oven-proof skillet
- mixing bowl
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided (60ml)
- 4 cups chopped fresh spinach (2 ounces/56g)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (113g)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ cup grated parmesan (40g)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the spinach and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant and spinach is wilted and vibrant green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- To the spinach mixture, add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Mix until fully combined. Set aside.
- Create pockets in the chicken breasts by cutting a slit on one long end of the breast and cutting into the center of each piece, being careful not to cut through the back or sides of the breast.
- In a small bowl, whisk together salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken breasts. Stuff each piece with spinach mixture (about ¼ cup each), sealing the open end with a toothpick to secure if needed.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the chicken registers 165°F. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you don’t accidentally cut all the way through the chicken breast. If you cut through to the back, the filling will leak out. If you do cut too far, you can seal the breast back together with some toothpicks. Just make sure you remember to remove them before serving.
- When measuring the internal temperature of the stuffed chicken breast, make sure you are measuring the actual chicken and not the spinach stuffing.
- If you have leftover spinach artichoke dip, you can use that instead of making the spinach filling from scratch for this stuffed chicken breast with spinach recipe.
- Don’t skip browning the chicken breasts in the skillet. Browning the chicken adds a ton of extra flavor and gives it a nice texture.
- Room temperature cream cheese will mix much more easily than cream cheese straight out of the oven. If you had forgotten to take it out ahead of time, heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds at 50% power to soften it.
- Letting the chicken rest will allow the moisture to redistribute in the chicken to ensure moist, juicy bites of chicken. If you serve it too early, all the juices will run out after your first cut!
