Loaded with a creamy 3-cheese blend of spinach and herbs, these Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts are incredibly easy to make and so flavorful! They’re perfect for a simple dinner alongside crispy roasted potatoes or fluffy rice pilaf.
We always have chicken breasts in our home, whether for Italian chicken cutlets, chicken fajitas, deli-style chicken salad, or these spinach-stuffed chicken breasts, this ingredient is one of the most versatile and most loved by our family!
I created this recipe based on a spinach-stuffed chicken breast Tara and I would order back in the day at a little Italian place in Manhattan’s financial district, Rosario’s. They would smother theirs in a simple marinara sauce, which was always out of this world!
You can do the same with your spinach-stuffed chicken breasts by either adding the marinara over the top or by adding it to the pan while baking.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. This recipe calls for whole chicken breasts, not chicken cutlets. You’ll need the whole breast in order to adequately stuff the chicken.
- Spinach. I’m using frozen spinach for this particular recipe because it makes the dish that much easier!
- Cheese. Parmigiano Reggiano, mozzarella, and ricotta are the 3 cheeses used for this recipe. Since this is an Italian stuffed chicken breast, I’m using ricotta, though you could use cream cheese in its place if that’s what you have on hand.
- Egg. The egg gets added to the spinach cheese mixture at the end and serves as a binder to hold the stuffing together.
- Fresh herbs. Parsley and basil add great flavor to these stuffed chicken breasts.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze the excess from the thawed and drained spinach and add it to a medium-sized bowl along with the ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, lemon zest, minced garlic, minced basil, and minced flat-leaf Italian parsley. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once satisfied with the taste, add the beaten egg.
- Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and dry them well with paper towels. Make a slit or pocket in the chicken making sure to not cut it all the way through.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on all sides, including the interior “pocket”.
- Use a spoon to stuff the chicken breasts with the spinach filling.
- You can use toothpicks or kitchen twine to secure them but it really isn’t necessary.
- Heat a large oven-safe pan to medium with the olive oil and butter. Add the stuffed chicken breasts and sear until browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 160°F. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before removing the toothpicks and serving. Resting will allow the chicken to come up to 165°F and will also allow it to reabsorb some of its juices. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Don’t overcook the chicken. Since breasts are very lean, they tend to dry out, especially if overcooked. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature on the chicken breasts and remove from the the oven when they’ve reached 160°F. While the chicken rests, the residual heat will bring their temp up to 165°F and will help prevent overcooking and drying out.
- Leftover stuffing. You may have some leftover stuffing. Don’t let it go to waste! Use it to stuff zucchini (see my lemon ricotta stuffed zucchini for reference), or to make a quick breakfast with scrambled eggs.
- Serving. As mentioned before, you can easily serve with a simple marinara sauce on the side, or add the marinara to the pan while baking. If using the marinara you can serve it along with pasta.
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Easy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter cubed
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
For the filling
- 1/3 pound (150g) frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 1/2 cup (120g) ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup (57g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (45g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons minced basil
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Squeeze the excess water from the thawed spinach. Combine the spinach with all of the filling ingredients except the egg. Taste test and season well with salt and pepper. Once satisfied with the taste, mix in the egg.
- Lay the chicken out on a cutting board and dry well with paper towels. Make a slit or pocket in the chicken, making sure not to cut all of the way through. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both the interior and exterior.
- Stuff the chicken breasts with the filling. They can be secured with a toothpick or kitchen twine but it isn't necessary.
- Heat a large oven-safe pan to medium with the olive oil and butter. Add the chicken and sear until brown on all sides (around 2-3 minutes per side).
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160°F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before removing the toothpicks and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- The chicken can be tied with string or secured with toothpicks though this isn’t necessary. Some of the filling will ooze out and is totally fine.
- Extra stuffing can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be used for other dishes such as stuffed zucchini.
- A simple marinara sauce can be served on the side.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sorry but I’m a bit confused- if I’ve already butterflied the breasts why do I need to make a pocket? If I’m making a pocket to stuff, wouldn’t I leave them as a regular breast piece?
You’re only cutting a slit/pocket in the whole breast. Not in an already butterflied breast.
Try using uncooked spaghetti instead of toothpicks or string. We did it the time in the firehouse. The spaghetti cooks with the chicken. No biting on unseen toothpicks
Thanks for the tip!
Easy and beautiful. Great for small dinner parties, looks fancy and is not complicated.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Carmen!