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Stuffed Chicken Breast

Stuffed chicken breast with a molten spinach, cream cheese, and mozzarella center—golden seared and baked to juicy perfection. Cut-and-slice baked stuffed chicken reveals oozing filling with a caramelized herb-seasoned exterior.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder to taste
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning to taste
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 toothpicks for securing
Filling
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 cup fresh baby spinach finely chopped
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prepare oven and filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, spinach, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
Stuff and season the chicken
  1. Cut a deep horizontal pocket in each chicken breast. Season inside and out generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika.
Fill, secure, and sear
  1. Spoon filling into each chicken pocket and secure with toothpicks. Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and sear chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until golden.
Bake, rest, and serve
  1. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove toothpicks, rest 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Notes

For the cleanest slices, rest the stuffed chicken the full 5 minutes so the molten filling settles rather than running. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; freeze cooked chicken for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, use part-skim mozzarella and reduced-fat cream cheese while keeping the same bake time.