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sliced chicken breast showing the creamy spinach filling.
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5 from 1 vote

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Chicken Breast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 440kcal
Author: Adina

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.
  • Saute: 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 the inside.

Filling:

  • Combine 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 a 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. It is preferable to use block-style cream cheese, cold and sturdy.
  4. 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

Serving: 1chicken breast | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 706mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g