We are so excited for you to try these easy spinach stuffed chicken breasts! They’re perfectly browned, have a cheesy filling (we love you, feta!), and a delicious tang from roasted red peppers.
Sear in a skillet on the stove top before moving to the oven where they’ll bake to perfection. This ensures that the chicken is juicy throughout, but you still get that nice golden brown exterior.
This is a great low carb weeknight dish when you’re looking for a new way to enjoy everyone’s favorite protein at home!
Ingredients For Spinach Stuffed Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil or unsalted butter
- Fresh baby spinach
- Roasted red peppers (though this recipe is also fabulous when you substitute the roasted peppers with sun dried tomatoes!)
- Feta cheese — lots of recipes for stuffed chicken breasts call for cream cheese, but we strongly prefer salty feta. It adds the best flavor!
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving, optional
Personally, we don’t use toothpicks to hold the chicken breasts together. Just carefully tuck the stuffing into each breast and try to be okay with the fact that a tiny bit might fall out into the pan. I can assure you that if this happens, the feta will brown and caramelized on top of bits of fallen spinach and red pepper and it has the best flavor and texture you can imagine.
In other words, let it happen on purpose.
How To Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts
The stuffed chicken breasts will begin on the stove top, then get transferred to a preheated oven to finish cooking. This will ensure that you get nice browning on the chicken breasts, but that they will remain tender and juicy throughout.
First, cut a little pocket into the side of each chicken breast (about 3″ long) using a sharp knife, being careful not to cut all the way through the breast. Season the chicken generously on both sides with Kosher salt and black pepper.
Make the filling: sauté fresh baby spinach until wilted, then combine a medium bowl with roasted red peppers and crumbled feta cheese. Stir to mix well. Divide the spinach mixture evenly between the chicken breasts, then carefully stuff each.
Heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add spinach stuffed chicken breasts. Cook until deep golden brown on the first side, then carefully flip (either with tongs or a thin spatula). Turn off the stove, then immediately transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Cook the chicken breasts for 7-9 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F has been reached. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan!
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
Can I Use Thighs Instead?
There’s no reason you couldn’t use chicken thighs, but in general they’re not as thick as chicken breasts and are therefore harder to stuff. We prefer boneless skinless breasts.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
This comes down to personal preference. Of course frozen spinach will work (let it thaw first), but my husband pretty much refuses to eat that. We love fresh baby spinach and think it’s worth the extra time and effort to sauté it fresh. No judgment, though, do what’s easiest and available!
Why Do I Have Leftover Filling?
It’s possible that you’ll have a little leftover filling. This is due to variation in the size of chicken breasts. Some are on the small side, while others are quite large. If you’ve got leftover that hasn’t touched raw chicken, save it and add it to scrambled eggs or an omelette!
Tips For The Best Stuffed Chicken
- Try not to cut all the way through the chicken breast, or the filling is likely to spill through the other side.
- Season the filling! Make sure the spinach and feta filling is seasoned with salt and pepper, otherwise the chicken will taste bland.
- Use crumbled feta cheese! We love a fresh block of feta as much as the next person, but for this recipe, we recommend crumbled feta. It has less water, and is therefore drier and will better hold its shape throughout cooking.
- If you’re making a double batch, simply transfer pan seared chicken breasts to a baking dish, then finish cooking the remaining chicken on the stove top.
Our Favorite Side Dishes
You can’t go wrong with either roasted vegetables (broccolini, brussels sprouts, Sicilian cauliflower), baked or red skin mashed potatoes, garlic spinach and white beans. Pictured below are simple roasted potatoes and an arugula salad with sliced almonds and a generous drizzled of aged balsamic vinegar. Simple, yet perfectly compliments the stuffed chicken!
Truly, one of the easiest, most delicious chicken dishes in our dinner rotation! We’ve been making this for close to a decade and just love the flavor. We can’t wait for you to try this at home!
If you make this Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More chicken recipes to try!
- Chicken Provencal
- Stuffed Chicken Marsala
- Skillet Chicken with Anchovies
- Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
- Dinner Party Chicken
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- 4 oz feta cheese crumbled, see note below
- 2 roasted red peppers about ½ cup
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375F. Cut a little pocket into the side of each chicken breast (about 3" long) using a sharp knife, trying not to cut all the way through the breast. Season the chicken generously on both sides with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Make the filling. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add baby spinach and remaining ½ tsp Kosher salt, then cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer cooked spinach to a medium bowl. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in 4 oz feta cheese and ½ cup chopped roasted red peppers.
- Stuff the chicken breasts. Divide the spinach mixture evenly between the chicken breasts, then carefully stuff each. It's okay if some of the filling is overflowing a bit, just do your best to pack it in there.
- Cook the chicken. Wipe out the skillet, if needed. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. When melted, carefully add the chicken breasts cut side down. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, untouched, then use a spatula to carefully flip each chicken breast over. Do not worry about any bits of filling that fall out!
- Transfer to a preheated oven. Place the skillet in the preheated oven, then cook for 7-9 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F. Serve immediately with pan drippings spooned on top!
Notes
- We love fresh blocks of feta, but for this recipe, we recommend crumbled feta. Why? It has a drier consistency and is more likely to hold its shape during cooking.
- Not a fan of roasted peppers? Try substituting sun dried tomatoes!
Let us know your thoughts!