Serve it with jollof rice, roasted broccoli or Parmentier potatoes.
Easy cream cheese stuffed chicken breasts
There is something so good about this stuffed chicken that even your fussiest eaters wouldn’t say no to. This easy chicken breast was a winner and I had clean plates from each member of the family. The two vegetables I have managed to feed my children are spinach and broccoli. That said, my eldest turned to me recently that she now only wants broccoli in her chicken sandwiches. I do not understand why some children see vegetable as aliens. All mine wants to eat is vegetable or fruit-free meals, yogurt and chocolate.
Spinach stuffed chicken recipe
In hindsight, one dish they’ll never say no to is chicken dinner. Whichever way I cook it; baked, grilled, fried or pressure cooked. I like to switch things up so it doesn’t become repetitive as that could bore them easily. No two-chicken dinner is the same in my household, and they look forward to a good homemade chicken dinner. I love making stuffed chicken breast as the filling option is endless. My first ever homemade stuffed chicken was chicken Kiev and I moved on to pesto stuffed chicken. I can’t wait to share these recipes with you. They are simply amazing! My children love the simple flavours in cream cheese stuffed chicken, it is mild, fresh and super healthy. The chicken breast is tender, juicy and melts in the mouth The best bit is that all these come together under 40 minutes, prep included. It is that quick and the chicken seasoning used is just out of this world. All you do is make pocket in the chicken breast, season with salt, pepper and seasoning. Then you move on to making the simple cream cheese filling, stuff the chicken, secure with some toothpicks and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. don’t get me started on the pan juice, it is amazeballs. I used it for rice and it was so good that I am now thinking I would be making this as a recipe on its own. I can’t really believe I said that as I never liked the rice and cheese idea but it worked beautifully together. It was served with this vegetable fried rice cooked with the pan juice. It was so good
What you will need to make this recipe
Chicken breasts Full fat cream cheese:softened and at room temperature Onion powder Garlic granules Smoked paprika Chilli flakes Coriander leaves: substitute with parsley pr any other herbs of choice Olive oil Butter Salt and black pepper to taste Chopped baby spinach
How to make spinach stuffed chicken in simple steps
Preheat the oven at 200C/385F In a small bowl mix together onion powder, garlic granules, paprika, red pepper flakes (chilli flakes), coriander leaves and set aside Using a sharp knife, make a pocket in each of the chicken making sure you do not cut through to the other end. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and black pepper and brush with some oil including the pocket Season the chicken with the dry rub including the pocket then move on to making the filling To a small bowl, add cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, chopped spinach and mix to combine. Fill the chicken breast pocket with the spinach cream cheese filling and secure the gap with some toothpicks Melt the butter in the microwave and rub in the baking dish. Place the stuffed chicken in the baking dish and bake in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes or until well done and the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165F/73C. you can broil/grill the chicken in the last 5 minutes for crispy topping. Take the chicken out of the oven and serve immediately.
Tips
Skip the extra seasoning of the filling by using flavoured cream cheese. What comes to mind first is the garlic and herb flavour. Any brand would work, Philadelphia, Boursin or Aldi.
Swap the seasoning used as marinade for taco seasoning or you can even make it your own and use any herbs and spices you like
You can cook this chicken recipe on the stove top. Because of the pocket made in the chicken, it would cook faster depending on the thickness of the fillets. 3 to 4 minutes on each side should be fine. If you are not sure the chicken is cooked all the way through, check with a thermometer, the internal temperature should read 165F/73C
Not a fan of chicken breasts or you do not have one at hand, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. You do not need to make a pocket in the thighs, simply, flatten it. spread the filling on the chicken, leaving about ½ inch out and roll. Secure with toothpicks as you would if you used chicken breasts.
You can use frozen spinach for this recipe, make sure it is completely thawed before using. Also, squeeze out any excess moisture from the spinach.
For even cheesier flavour, add some grated mozzarella cheese to the filling.
More chicken recipes
Creamy garlic chicken Honey mustard chicken thighs How to spatchcock chicken Air fryer chicken wings Cashew chicken Salt and pepper chicken If you made this easy spinach stuffed chicken recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox weekly. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!
