Easy stuffed chicken thighs are filled with stuffing, wrapped in bacon, and baked until tender and juicy!
This recipe is versatile and can be made with chicken thighs and leftover stuffing or your favorite stuffing mix.
A Favorite Stuffed Chicken Recipe
- This dish takes a little bit of prep but it’s simple to make and has a cozy homemade flavor.
- Chicken thighs are extra juicy and turn out perfectly every time (you can use chicken breasts too, see notes).
- This can be made with homemade stuffing or a box mix if you prefer. Add in your favorites from chopped spinach to mushrooms.
- Extra stuffing can be added to the baking dish if you’d like.
Ingredients
CHICKEN For quick prep, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It’s just so easy to stuff and wrap with bacon. For a chicken breast version, see the notes below.
STUFFING Use boxed stuffing mix for simplicity. Or if there’s time, prepare homemade Sausage Stuffing or use leftover cornbread dressing. It is important to ensure that the stuffing is cooled before adding to the chicken.
BACON Bacon holds these bundles together and of course adds smoky savory flavor.
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Thighs
It doesn’t have to be difficult to make a super delicious meal:
- Prepare stuffing mix & cool completely.
- Open each thigh on a cutting board & place some stuffing on top.
- Roll chicken up & wrap tightly with bacon, then season.
- Bake (per recipe instructions below).
Variations
To use boneless chicken breasts, butterfly the chicken breast open (so you can open it like a book) and pound to ½” thickness. Fill with the stuffing mixture and wrap in bacon (you may need extra bacon if the chicken breasts are large). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center reaches 165°F.
Try adding mushroom & spinach, plus goat cheese, or top with shredded mozzarella or even jalapeno jack.
Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to preheat the oven so that the chicken cooks at the correct rate and temperature.
- In a hurry? Place prepared stuffing mix in the freezer while getting the chicken and other ingredients laid out. This will cool it down in a hurry so that it’s easy to work with. Alternatively, prepare the stuffing mix the day before.
- If it’s hard to wrap the bacon around the chicken thighs, try securing the stuffed chicken with toothpicks. This will hold it together making it easier to wrap up—without losing any stuffing.
Leftovers
Chicken dishes keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, according to FDA guidelines. Cover the leftovers in an airtight container to keep them from drying out.
Cooked poultry will stay fresh for 4-6 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then simply reheat as desired and enjoy.
Our Fave Stuffed Chicken
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast – wrapped in bacon
- Bacon-Wrapped Chicken – so cheesy
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts – with a creamed spinach sauce
- Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Chicken Breasts – so easy to make
- Chicken Cordon Bleu – a classic
- Everything Cream Cheese Chicken – tastes just like a bagel
- Chicken Kiev – so buttery & flavorful
- Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts – rich & creamy
Did you make these Stuffed Chicken Thighs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Stuffed Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 ounces stuffing mix or 1 ½ cups leftover homemade stuffing
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs approx 8 thighs
- 8 slices bacon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare stuffing according to directions and cool completely.
- Lay each chicken thigh on a cutting board and place stuffing in the center (approximately 2-3 tablespoons depending on the size of the chicken thighs).
- Fold each chicken thigh closed around the stuffing and tightly wrap with bacon. Sprinkle garlic powder and paprika on top of the thighs.
- Place any leftover stuffing on the bottom of the baking dish and place chicken thighs seam side down on top of the stuffing.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
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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So easy and absolutely delicious!!! My family loved every bite!!
Would like to try this recipe. Sounds great and I love thigh chicken. Question, its just my husband and I, so 8 serving is a little much. Can I freeze the rest of them for later dinners? I love having leftovers that can be froze so I don’t have as much cooking at 72.
These leftover chicken thighs freeze great! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I wish I could attach a photo! I made this night before last and after I cut into one, it looked just like the photo. the thighs I used were kind of large so I used 2 pieces of bacon per thigh. The bacon turned out nice and crispy as well. I had no need to use toothpicks either to secure the thighs. I highly recommend this!
We would love to see it, Jason! Tag us on instagram @spendpennies.
Can you make this without the bacon? Just season the chicken.
Sure you can! Bacon adds fat, salt, and flavor so if leaving it out I would recommend a little bit of olive oil and extra seasoning on the outside of the chicken. If you have a spice blend you love, like a cajun seasoning that would work well too.
I found this recipe yesterday and made it last night, and it was wonderful. I did add asparagus spears and and shredded white cheddar cheese, it was so good. Thank you.
That sounds delicious, Kathleen. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Can I stuff the stuffing under chicken thighs with skin on?
Hi Rosemary, we place the stuffing in the middle and wrap the chicken thigh around it but that should work!
I made these and they were awesome and I don’t like dark meat.
I love this dish ,it was so simple to make but looks so elegant and fancy, so good !!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Patricia!
We had this tonight. It was fabulous!! Served with a rice pilaf, it was delicious!
I am so glad you loved this recipe James!
This was soo good!! Thank you for sharing!
So happy you enjoyed them, Kelsey!
Can I make homemade stuffing instead of boxed
Since we stuff the chicken with prepared stuffing you definitely can. Just make sure to let it cool completely before using it.
Does baking them on top of the stuffing give the bacon a rubbery texture, as it would not crisp up? I would prefer if the bottoms were crispy as well…maybe I should skip the extra stuffing?
Hi Klaire, you can leave the extra stuffing out if you prefer. The bacon should crisp us nicely either way. :)
I love cornbread stuffing. Would it do well here?
Hi Emily, we haven’t tried this recipe with cornbread stuffing but I think it would work well!
can this be prepared and frozen befored cooked?
Hi Kim, we haven’t tried freezing it before baking so I can’t say for sure. But I can say leftovers freeze well :)
Thanks, great chicken
Haven’t tasted it yet, but I am sure it will be tasty. However, 35 minutes and the chicken nor the bacon is cooked enough to serve. Increasing time to insure proper temp.
Yes, David, oven cooking times vary so always make sure your chicken is cooked to an internal temp of 165°F!
Very easy. But I made my own stuffing the day before and put it in the fridge. Not a fan of stove top stuffing… Also found I just needed I and 1/2 slices of bacon. One for the long wrap and 1/2 a strip for around the middle. I’m thrifty. Lol. Served with extra stuffing and some roasted asparagus . Family loved it. Would serve this for company. It’s plates beautifully. It could go with any seasonal veggie or a nice spinach and artichoke salad.
Mmmm, homemade stuffing! When we have the time we love making it too Ellen! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you Holly
So glad you love this chicken Deana, I do too!