Cheesy and packed with protein, Spinach Stuffed Chicken is an easy-to-make dinner that looks (and tastes) like you spent hours in the kitchen!
Family dinner around the dining room table is my absolute favorite part of the day. We unwind, catch each other up on what happened at work and school, and enjoy a delicious meal. I always try to make sure that our dinner is protein-packed because with two teenage boys running around, we need all the protein we can get.
One of my go-to family dinners has always been chicken parmesan, but recently we’ve been loving Spinach Stuffed Chicken. It’s tender, cheesy, juicy chicken that goes from prep work to table in less than 45 minutes. Bonus – my kids are eating spinach without ANY complaints!
SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN
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When it comes to dinner recipes, I love a good combo recipe. You know, the kind that incorporates more than one part of the meal into one dish. That’s why I love casseroles so much! You get your protein, your grain, your veggies, and of course your cheese.
While this spinach stuffed chicken recipe isn’t a casserole, it IS a combo dish that incorporates protein, cheese, AND veggies all wrapped up in one neat little dish. It’s practically a whole meal in and of itself.
Not only do you get a deliciously perfect chicken breast, but with spinach and cream cheese stuffed chicken you get a full serving of vegetables that even KIDS will devour. I’m a mom. I totally understand those annoyingly picky phases that kids go through where anything green is basically trash to them. Well, I kid you not, the first time I made this spinach stuffed chicken, my kids left the dinner table screaming about how much they LOVED spinach.
I really think that if I made spinach stuffed chicken breast every night for a month, my whole family would be happy. It’s THAT good.
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Ingredients
When making your spinach and cheese stuffed chicken you’ll be making a deliciously cheesy filling. That filling melts into the chicken as it bakes, tenderizing the chicken and keeping it juicy and delicious. Here’s what you’ll need to make this incredible dinner:
Chicken – For this spinach stuffed chicken recipe, I always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They’re lean and packed full of protein. They also hold in the delicious flavor of the spinach and cheese stuffing perfectly.
Cheese – Cheese is definitely its own food group in my mind. No good recipe is complete without cheese! Of course, this spinach stuffed chicken has THREE different types of cheese. You’ll need cream cheese, grated parmesan, and mozzarella. I typically use full-fat cream cheese and mozzarella because the flavor is just perfect, but you can absolutely use low-fat versions!
Spinach – I’ve found that using fresh spinach works best in this recipe. Frozen spinach has too much water and it just takes forever to squeeze out. Instead, I buy a bag of fresh spinach and chop it up super finely and it’s ready to get stuffed into those chicken breasts!
How to cook stuffed chicken breast with spinach
What I love most about this spinach stuffed chicken recipe (aside from the fact my kids are excited to eat veggies), is that it looks and tastes super fancy, but is actually REALLY easy to make! Here’s how to do it:
- Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Then, spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- While the oven is preheating, grab a small bowl and prepare your chicken seasoning. Combine paprika, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set aside for a minute.
- Now prep your chicken breasts. Take one breast at a time and starting with the thicker part, slice a pocket for the spinach and cheese filling.
- Next, place your chicken breasts in a large bowl. Add in the olive oil and coat the breasts.
- Sprinkle your seasoning (that you set aside a minute ago!) over the chicken, making sure it’s all coated.
- Now, chop up the spinach. You want it to be finely chopped so that it integrates well with the cheese mixture.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic, and parmesan cheese.
- Add in your chopped spinach and mozzarella cheese and stir to combine.
- Place your seasoned chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet.
- Stuff each breast with the spinach mixture and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot with a little parsley for garnish.
If you want to be extra popular amongst your family, you can make this recipe into bacon and spinach stuffed chicken. Simply add in some cooked bacon crumbles into your spinach and cheese mixture before you stuff it into the chicken! It will add a whole other flavor profile that is delicious!
Do stuffed chicken breasts take longer to cook?
Spinach stuffed chicken breast takes slightly longer than a typical baked chicken breast. You’ll want to bake your stuffed chicken for about 30 minutes (where you’d usually only bake a chicken breast for 25ish minutes).
Baking chicken is kind of like a science, but a science that’s pretty easy to master. The easiest way to ensure your chicken is cooked, but still as juicy as can be, is to use a meat thermometer. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be 165 degrees. When taking the temperature, make sure you’re in the thickest part of the chicken and not in the filling!
What goes with spinach stuffed chicken?
Spinach stuffed chicken breast is a super filling meal on its own, but we’re big fans of side dishes in our family. If your family loves sides just as much as we do, try out some of these ideas to serve with your chicken!
Zoodles – spinach stuffed chicken is really low-carb as a recipe, so if you’re on the keto diet or you simply like to watch your carb intake, make a batch of zoodles to accompany your chicken instead of pasta!
Mom’s mashed potatoes – I adore mashed potatoes and I think they pair perfectly with this chicken dish. This is my mom’s tried and true recipe for the best mashed potatoes ever!
Slow cooker mushroom and wild rice pilaf – this delicious rice pilaf is SO easy to make and it’s a great companion for spinach stuffed chicken!
Need more dinner inspiration? Check out some of these other Real Housemoms favorites!
- Bacon Ranch Chicken
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Baked Stuffed Shells
- Creamy Chicken Florentine
- Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken
- more DINNER recipes…
Tools used to make this Spinach Stuffed Chicken recipe
Baking Sheet: whether you’re making cookies or chicken breasts, every kitchen needs a good baking pan!
Mixing Bowls: I’ve loved this set for YEARS and it gets used in almost every recipe I make.
Meat Thermometer: I use this tool to make sure my chicken breasts are always cooked to perfection!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese softened
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast to create a pocket for the filling. (You don't want to cut all the way through.) Place the prepared chicken in a large mixing bowl, drizzle with oil, and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle over chicken and rub to make sure the outsides are seasoned.
- In another mixing bowl, mix together spinach, Parmesan, mozzarella, cream cheese, and garlic until evenly combined.
- Place the chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet. Stuff each breast with 1/4 of the spinach mixture. Use a spoon or your fingers to spread the mixture evenly inside the pocket.
- Bake for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees F and filling is melty.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. You can sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top for garnish, if desired.
Janet Bradley says
Can’t wait to make this. I am going to wrap mine in bacon do none of that yummy stuffing oozes out :0)
Thanks for the AWESOME recipe!!!!