Spinach stuffed chicken is loaded with melty mozzarella cheese and sautéed spinach and then roasted with a paprika and Parmesan top for an easy and irresistible chicken dinner!
We had such a lovely 4th of July last week!
We started the day with a kids' bike decorating and bike parade at our nearby pool. Then we stayed and played and splashed for several hours at the pool. It was a beautiful day. ☀️
We headed home in the afternoon for some more playing and then relaxed and watched a movie with the kids. I wanted them to have some down time so they could stay up late and do fireworks.
After grilling out and having ALL kinds of favorite 4th foods, we headed to our neighbor's house. The kids all played while we chatted for a bit then we all went outside to do sparklers and pop-its and some basic fireworks in their driveway.
It was really low-key, really simple stuff all day, but it just felt so right, you know? It was exactly the kind of 4th I wanted us all to have and I'm so thankful. ❤️
Moving on though, cause we are here to talk FOOD!
Do you love stuffed chicken as much as we do?
I make it A LOT and love trying out all kinds of variations. Here’s a few I’ve shared with you already.
Stuffed Chicken Recipes:
- Cheesy Mexican stuffed chicken breasts
- Chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and mozzarella
And around the holidays, I love making chicken stuffed with stuffing.
Honestly, I have lots more versions that we make at home. I’ll be sure to keep sharing them here with you!
(Update: Check out baked chicken cordon bleu for a true classic. Or try this Greek stuffed chicken breasts recipe for a fun twist on stuffed chicken! And this collection of 11 delicious stuffed chicken recipes.)
Or maybe you want to try bacon wrapped chicken for a delicious dinner.
You can also sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter to get all new recipes delivered to your inbox. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!
Today though, I’m excited to be sharing this spinach stuffed chicken recipe with you.
It’s got melty, stretchy mozzarella cheese on the inside, a good dose of sautéed spinach, plus a paprika and Parmesan crust on top.
What’s not to love?!
It’s really easy to make, too, even on a busy weeknight!
Maybe that’s why this spinach and cheese stuffed chicken recipe is in our regular rotation.
I always have these ingredients on hand and it just comes together so quickly and easily.
(This 20-minute chicken piccata is another go-to in my house.)
I love that the spinach adds some greens and the cheese (double cheese!) means even the kids will eat it.
Total win!
Now, I’ve got some notes, FAQs and serving ideas coming up for this recipe. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down 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.
Ingredient Notes:
- Cheese: We love this with melty mozzarella cheese and I just use shredded cheese. You could also do fresh mozzarella or try this with shredded cheddar cheese instead.
- Chicken: It helps to have decent sized chicken breasts, not the super thin ones or perfectly portioned ones, since you’ll have to slice them across in half to stuff them.
- Parmesan: The Parmesan and paprika on top really brings the cheesy home and adds a nice browned crust to the top of the chicken. However, you could skip it if you prefer.
- Breadcrumbs: Or you could do a buttery breadcrumb topping instead if you’d like.
Can I use frozen spinach?
This recipe calls for fresh spinach that you sauté down before stuffing the chicken breasts.
I haven’t made this recipe with frozen spinach, but I think you could. Make sure you thaw it completely and get ALL the extra liquid squeezed out before using it.
Want to add more veggies?
Ah, you know I love and support that.
You could sauté some onions and mushrooms along with the spinach for stuffing into this chicken or scattering over top or around the chicken as it bakes.
Oh, and 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.
Also, 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. ♀️
(Some of the cheese might ooze out, but it’s easy enough to scoop up and stuff back in if needed.)
If yours look like they might want to fall apart, feel free to add a few toothpicks.
Now let’s make this into a meal!
Serving Ideas:
- We love this chicken served over steamed brown rice.
- White rice or quinoa would be good too. (Even cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.)
- You could also serve this chicken over a long thin noodle (like spaghetti).
- Or serve it with fluffy potatoes or roasted potatoes. (My microwave baked potatoes or paprika roasted potatoes are good options.)
- For a veggie side, you could do a simple green salad, steamed broccoli or green beans, or roast a mix of veggies on a second tray in the oven while the chicken is cooking. (I want to try these roasted veggies with garlic and herbs. Yum!)
I hope you give this a try for an easy chicken dinner that’ll have everyone at the table smiling and digging in!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4-5 oz. fresh baby spinach (a few very big handfuls)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Heat one teaspoon of the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
- Butterfly the chicken breasts by cutting them horizontally so that they open up like a book and are attached on one side. (See more details and step-by-step photos on how to butterfly chicken if it’s your first time.)
- Sprinkle the inside of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Divide the mozzarella and the sautéed spinach among the chicken breasts, laying it down along the bottom half. Fold each one over to “close up” the chicken breast. (I don't bother with toothpicks but you can secure yours if you'd like.)
- Drizzle the tops of each chicken breast with remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle each chicken breast with ¼ teaspoon of paprika and then 1 tablespoon of Parmesan.
- Place the stuffed chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean-up). Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Joe Barra
Absolutely perfect!!!!!!
Used a spicy white pepper and real Hungarian sweet paprika and served with a drizzle of reduced balsamic. Garlic sautéed my spinach too.
My new go-to dish.
I did a roll-up (like cordon bleu) instead of butterfly on 1/2 inch pounded chicken breasts roasted and rested to 165 internal. Perfect!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh wonderful, I'm so happy to hear you loved it! And thanks for sharing those tweaks you tried - so helpful!