Cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts are filled with black beans, tomatoes and cheese and topped with taco seasoning and more cheese for an easy, fun and delicious family dinner!
We are back from a fun weekend of camping in the N.C. mountains! 🏕
We had gorgeous, cool weather, a couple of great hikes and some fun surprises -- a park ranger doing a demonstration with animal skins, a local astronomy group bringing telescopes to watch the stars and a nearby country store with yummy ice cream.
We also had some hammock time, s'mores by the fire and lots of family bonding. 💕
But we came back to a whirlwind Sunday, a ton of stuff to unpack and a super busy week. Eek, I'm so not ready for it!
And yet, it's Monday morning, so whether I like it or not, here we go.
And since that seems to happen more often than not, I'm all about some easy dinners I know will be a hit with everyone. Which takes us to today's recipe...
I love making stuffed chicken breasts. It’s such a simple way to do chicken breasts for dinner and the options are endless!
I’ve previously shared my chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and mozzarella and pizza-stuffed chicken, a kid favorite! We loved stuffed chicken in our house, so I'm always changing it up!
Today it’s my cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts, which my family devours!
Chicken breasts are stuffed with black beans, tomatoes and spinach then sprinkled with taco seasoning and some extra cheese.
(And bonus, they are only 6 ingredients!)
Bake them in the oven, add some extra toppings and you are in for some warm, cheesy, dinnertime deliciousness!
First up, if you are new to stuffed chicken, go check out my post on how to butterfly chicken breasts. It’s got some step-by-step photos that are really helpful with how to cut the chicken open.
(I find it way easier than trying to make a pouch to in the chicken to stuff the ingredients into.)
And now, let’s get to some helpful notes and serving ideas for this recipe.
If you’d rather just skip to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts:
- I prefer these with fresh tomatoes on the inside because it holds up better while baking. However, I’ve also used salsa instead of the tomato in the stuffed chicken before and that worked too. Just make sure it’s not too watery/runny.
- I use shredded white cheddar cheese but Monterey Jack or pepper Jack would be great here too.
- You could also add a sprinkling of corn to the inside of these stuffed chicken breasts if you’d like.
- I add the spinach mainly for color here. You can skip it if you’d rather.
Oh, and I should mention that I don’t secure my chicken breasts with toothpicks or string before baking. I find that butterflying them and just folding them back over is sufficient.
Also, I’m lazy like that. 🤷♀️
If yours look like they might want to fall apart, feel free to add a few toothpicks. 👍
Now, let’s top these babies off and bring this recipe home!
Topping ideas for Mexican stuffed chicken:
- Salsa or pico de Gallo
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped green onions
- Sliced avocado or a dollop of guac
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Pickled jalapeños or hot sauce for a spicy kick
Finally, let’s round out the rest of the meal!
Serving ideas for Mexican chicken breasts:
* This goes great with confetti rice or just steamed brown or white rice.
* Quinoa would pair well too, as would some creamy polenta. With more cheese melted into it. 😍
* You could also serve this chicken with some cornbread or dinner rolls. (Easy cheesy cornbread muffins would work great.)
* A big green salad is a great veggie pairing for this dinner.
* Coleslaw is yummy too, including my super flavorful, colorful and amazing Mexican coleslaw that I shared last week.
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I hope you give these stuffed chicken breasts a try! And if you do, please tag me on Instagram - I love seeing what you make!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts
Cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts are filled with black beans, tomato and cheese and topped with taco seasoning and more cheese for an easy, fun and delicious family dinner!
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup black beans
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh tomato (such as Roma), seeds removed
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh spinach
- 2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
Optional toppings:
- Salsa, sliced avocado or guacamole, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, sour cream or Greek yogurt, pickled jalapeños or hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Butterfly each chicken breasts and lay open like a book. (See how to butterfly chicken breasts for more details and step-by-step photos.)
- Sprinkle the inside of each chicken breasts with the salt and pepper.
- Add to each chicken breast 2 tablespoons of black beans, 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped tomato, 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped spinach and ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
- Fold chicken breasts to close them up and lay on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle each of the tops of the chicken breasts with ½ teaspoon of the taco seasoning. Top each breast with an extra ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until chicken breasts are cooked through. Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
I prefer these with fresh tomato on the inside because it holds up better while baking. However, I’ve also used salsa instead of the tomato in the stuffed chicken before and that worked too. Just make sure it’s not too runny.
I use shredded white cheddar cheese but Monterey Jack or pepper Jack would be great here too.
I add the spinach mainly for color here. You can skip it if you’d rather.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 594Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 1109mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 60g
Susan
These were delicious! So moist and very filling.
I used kale instead of spinach and a spice mix of cumin, chili powder, and oregano instead of the taco seasoning. Served them with mashed potato puffs from the cooking jar.com.
A yummy meal.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed these Susan! (They're on my menu again for next week. 😊) Love those substitutions too - could be helpful for switching things out in a pinch - thanks so much for sharing!