Spinach stuffed chicken breast with cream cheese, easy to make, healthy and so delicious! The meat is tender and the filling oozy and comforting, a real family favorite.
Looking for a quick, tasty, and healthy dinner idea tonight? Try our spinach and cream cheese stuffed chicken. It’s easy to make, yet it looks rather fancy, it’s juicy and so full of flavor. Not to mention rather healthy, low-carb, and keto, if you are into that.
Chicken breast for dinner is always a good idea for us! Cast-iron Chicken Breast, Baked BBQ Chicken, Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer, or a simple Chicken and Potato Soup, anything goes! These healthy cuts are versatile, they are always something you will find in my freezer, are super easy and fast to cook and they always taste great.
Why will you love this cream cheese spinach chicken?
- The flavor: it’s simply great! The spinach, feta, and cream cheese are a lovely combination, salty and savory, perfectly complementing the mellowness of the meat.
- The texture: so creamy! The cream cheese and feta mixture melts and oozes on your plate, the spinach is velvety soft, and the meat is so tender and moist.
- The appearance: the dish looks like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. Once you’ve cut and stuffed those breasts (which is easy), there’s not much more you have to do. Let the oven do its work and serve.
- Good for guests: And because the spinach cream cheese chicken looks so nice, consider serving it for a dinner party. Prepare everything but bake just before you want to serve the dish. Use a nice-looking baking dish and you will have a great dinner from the oven to the table.
What do you need?
Meat:
- Breast pieces weighing between 180 g/ 6.4 oz and 250 g/ 8.8 oz, it really depends on where you buy the meat. I noticed that frozen breasts are often on the smaller side, while fresh ones are larger. Is not a rule, but it happens frequently.
- I don’t change the amounts of ingredients needed for the filling according to the size of the breast, I think that would be too much trouble. If the meat pieces are small, I might have a couple of tablespoons leftover. That’s fine with me, the filling tastes great as a dip or bread spread.
Spinach:
- Fresh: you will need about 250 g/ 8.8 fresh.
- Frozen: substitute fresh with about 125 g/ 4.4 oz frozen spinach. In this case, let it thaw completely (in a sieve), and squeeze very well to remove the water before adding to the cheese mixture.
Cream cheese:
- A small amount, about 100 g/ 3.5 oz.
- It is preferable to use block-style cream cheese, cold and sturdy.
- You can use cream cheese from a container as well, but keep in mind that this sort is creamier, softer. In this case, you should chill the filling very well before stuffing the meat portions. And the stuffing process will be slightly messier as the filling will be softer.
- What you should not use is whipped cream cheese or another soft spread.
Cheese:
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz feta cheese. The combination of cream cheese and feta is delicious, feta adds saltiness/ heartiness to the otherwise mild mixture.
- You can substitute feta with another sort of stronger-tasting cheese, try grated Cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan for instance.
Seasoning:
- Sweet paprika powder, garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper for the meat.
- Fresh garlic and onions, red chili flakes to taste, salt, and pepper for the filling.
How to make stuffed spinach chicken?
- Sautee spinach: finely chop onion and garlic. Sautee until translucent. Add chopped spinach (washed but not dried) and cook until wilted, a couple of minutes. Remove from the pan, spread on a large plate, and let cool completely, it will not take long.
- If using frozen spinach, let thaw completely and squeeze very well with your hands to remove the excess water. In this case, you can leave out the cooking (including the onion) and only add the raw grated garlic to the filling.
- Cut the meat: make slits into the breasts taking care not to cut all the way through, cut about ¾ way into the meat using a sharp knife.
- Season: brush the meat with a little oil. Mix the seasoning and season generously on the outside and on the inside.
- Make the filling: place cream cheese, cold spinach, crumbled feta, grated garlic, and seasoning in a small bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined.
- Stuff: divide the filling into 4 equal portions (eyeballing is fine). Stuff each breast. Secure with a toothpick. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving or warn the people eating that they must remove them themselves.
- Bake: in the preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Baking time: until the internal temperature reaches 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Small pieces will need about 20 minutes, while larger ones will need about 25 minutes. The best way to check is with a meat thermometer (Amazon affiliate link). This way you can be sure that the spinach stuffed chicken breast is cooked through without being overcooked.
Make ahead
Cut the chicken and keep in an airtight container until ready to fill. Make the filling and keep refrigerated as well. Fill, secure and bake when ready to serve.
You can also prepare everything. Place the stuffed breasts in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove the plastic wrap and bake as instructed.
Can you reheat the stuffed chicken?
Chicken breast is usually best served immediately, reheating tends to make it a bit dry. In this case, the cream cheese filling helps against the drying out of the meat. Reheat in the oven at about 165 degrees Celsius/ 325 degrees Fahrenheit until pipping hot, about 10-15 minutes.
What to serve with it?
A simple salad with vinaigrette or yogurt dressing is perfect. Buttered Peas or Buttered Vegetables, French-Style Green Beans, roasted broccoli, or cauliflower are great as well.
If you don’t care about the low-carb issue, serve with boiled or Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes, rice, or pasta. I also adore this cheesy spinach stuffed chicken breast served over polenta. Polenta, cheese, and spinach are always perfect together!
More chicken breast recipes:
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast (No Breading)
- Dutch Oven Chicken Breast
- Baked Panko Chicken
- Gochujang Chicken Breast
- Easy Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Spinach stuffed chicken breast with cream cheese, easy to make, healthy and so delicious! The meat is tender and the filling oozy and comforting, a real family favorite.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (Note 1)
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves, divided
- 250 g/ 8.8 fresh spinach (Note 2)
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz cream cheese (Note 3)
- 100 g/ 3.5 oz feta cheese (Note 4)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, to taste
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly brush or spray a baking dish with olive oil.
Spinach:
- Finely chop the onion and two of the garlic cloves. Wash the spinach in a sieve, shake lightly, but don’t dry it, chop it roughly.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan. Sauté the onion and the garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add spinach and let it wilt.
- Remove from the pan and let cool completely (spread it on a larger plate, so that it cools faster).
- If using frozen spinach, let thaw completely and squeeze very well with your hands to remove the excess water. In this case, leave out the cooking (including the onion) and only add the raw grated garlic clove to the filling.
Chicken:
- Make slits into the chicken breasts taking care not to cut all the way through, only about ¾ way into the meat using a sharp knife.
- Brush or rub the meat with the remaining oil.
- Mix the seasoning and season the chicken generously on the outside and on the inside.
Filling:
- Place cream cheese, cold spinach, crumbled feta, grated garlic and seasoning in small bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined.
Stuff:
- Divide the filling into 4 equal portions (eyeballing is fine) and stuff each chicken breast.
- Secure with toothpick. Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.
- Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken breast weighing around 180 g/ 6.4 oz will need about 20 minutes, while those weighing around 250 g/ 8.8 oz will need about 25 minutes. Best way to check is with a meat thermometer, it ensures that the meat is safe to eat but not overcooked. (Amazon affiliate link)
Notes
- Weighing between 180 g/ 6.4 oz and 250 g/ 8.8 oz. I don’t change the amounts of ingredients needed for the filling according to the size of the breast. If the meat pieces are small, you might have a couple of tablespoons of leftover filling. They are great as a dip or bread spread.
- Substitute fresh spinach with about 125 g/ 4.4 oz frozen spinach. Let the spinach thaw completely (in a sieve) and squeeze very well to remove the water before adding to the cheese mixture. In this case you can leave out the cooking (including the onion) and only add the raw grated garlic to the filling.
- It is preferable to use block-style cream cheese, cold and sturdy.
- From a block of cheese, not already crumbled feta. You can substitute feta with another cheese, try grated Cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan for instance.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 chicken breastAmount Per Serving: Calories: 440Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 706mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 45g
Nutritional information is not always accurate.
