Stuffed Chicken Breast is one of our favorite easy dinner recipes. This chicken has a delicious cheesy spinach filling and is wrapped in smoky bacon then baked until tender and juicy.
We love serving stuffed chicken breast on a bed of rice, or alongside some scalloped Potatoes and asparagus. It’s a delicious and versatile dinner that my family loves!
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Breast
Stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon looks like you fussed for hours but it’s not hard to make. Here’s how to make spinach stuffed chicken:
- Butterfly the chicken breasts (see below for details).
- Create the filling and cool completely.
- Add filling to butterflied chicken. Add cheese.
- Close the chicken, wrap with slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks.
- Bake until juicy and golden (165°F).
How To Butterfly A Chicken Breast
Whole, skinless chicken breasts can be quite thick. When making this stuffed chicken breast recipe, you’ll want to use an easy technique called “butterflying”.
To butterfly means to cut in half horizontally (not all of the way through, but most of the way) just like I do in my Bacon Wrapped Chicken. Open the breast up, kind of like a book. When done correctly, the breast looks similar to a butterfly with open wings – hence the name. Here’s how I do it:
- Hold the thinner end of the chicken breast with a paper towel, or with the tines of a fork (skinless raw chicken can be slippery).
- Using a sharp knife with a thin blade (a filet knife is great if you have one), slice through horizontally most of the way through. Leave about 1″ towards thicker end intact.
- Open the chicken breast (like a book) and using a meat mallet, pound to an even thickness according to your recipe.
Stuffed Chicken Breast
The ingredients in this spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breast are pretty simple and quick to prepare!
Spinach for Stuffed Chicken: I most often use fresh spinach but of course you can Fresh Spinach for Frozen and vice versa. If you’re using frozen spinach, thaw it thoroughly first and take up a handful and squeeze out the water before mixing it with the cream cheese. If you’re using fresh spinach, cook it first.
Cheese for Stuffed Chicken: I love the combo of spinach and Swiss cheese (plus swiss tends to holds up well when baked) but you can use any cheese you like! Feta is also a great option. I use garlic and herb cream cheese for flavor but plain works as does any flavor you like!
How Long To Cook Stuffed Chicken Breast
Baked stuffed chicken breast should be baked in an uncovered roasting pan for 35-45 minutes in a preheated 375°F oven. Chicken breasts can vary from 5oz to 10oz in size so I always use a thermometer to make sure it reaches the poultry-safe cooked temperature of 165°F (the perfect temperature for any Baked Chicken Breasts.
When done, allow your spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breast rest for several minutes before serving (to firm up the cheeses and let the juices settle).
Baked stuffed chicken breast is classic comfort food. Serve spinach stuffed chicken breast with a fresh Kale Salad, Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes (or Mashed Potatoes) and your favorite veggie side dish!
More Chicken Recipes
- Baked Chicken Thighs – Juicy and crispy
- Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken – Classic chicken parmesan made easy!
- Roast Chicken & Vegetables – A complete meal in one baking dish!
- Chicken Piccata – Lemony and delicious!
- The BEST Chicken Salad – Honestly the best. So good!
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts – A family favorite.
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh spinach leaves or ⅔ cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 2 ounces swiss cheese or mozzarella, sliced into 4 slices
- 2 tablespoons spreadable cream cheese herb & garlic flavor * see note
- black pepper
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 8 slices bacon
- cajun seasoning optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Chop spinach and place in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Stir until wilted. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Cool completely.
- Butterfly chicken breast (so you can open it like a book) and pound to ½" thickness.
- Divide the spinach mixture over each breast and top with one slice of swiss cheese. Close chicken around the spinach and cheese. Wrap each breast with 2 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season with cajun or chicken seasoning if desired.
- Bake on a pan for 35-40 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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Followed the recipe except I used slices of gouda rather that swiss and added about 3/4 of a cream cheese block to the spinach rather than 4 TBS, since I wanted a creamier filling. It turned out AMAZING. My whole family loved it. Tasted like a fancy dish from a restaurant, but it was so easy to make. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for posting!
So glad to hear that Elise! We love this recipe too!
I am so looking forward to making this recipe with my Grandson. He is very interested in learning to cook. ;)
I made this last week and it was so delicious and it turned out so beautiful. Will definitely make again thank you
WOW SO GREAT !!
We cannot express how much we love this recipe. We made it with spinach first and couldnt get enough of it. Tonight we made it with baby arugula and pardon my abbreviations but omfg. I will make this for the rest of my life. Either way it is amazing. Holly you need your television show, you should apply to be on chopped or something like that.
Yay, so glad you guys loved it (arugula sounds awesome!!). Thank you so much for your kind words Brandon!
This was excellent! I followed the recipe and everyone loved it
So happy to hear that Julie!
I have made this for years except I don’t use the bacon or the mustard sauce. Just open a can of cream of chicken and it mixes with the chicken juices and melted cheese.