Succulent and juicy, this Spinach Stuffed Chicken is a deliciously satisfying keto dinner. Take chicken breasts to the next level with a rich spinach cheese filling and a buttery garlic pan sauce.
I don’t usually cook with or eat chicken breasts. I’ve always found them a bit boring and lacking in flavor. I much prefer chicken thighs any day.
Unless we happen to be talking about these cheesy Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Then I take back every bad thing I ever said about how chicken breasts are dry and boring. Because this meal is ANYTHING but boring.
I have a lot of delicious chicken recipes that have become reader favorites, like Keto Chicken Broccoli Casserole and Easy Keto Chicken Fajitas. This this one needs to be added to the list, because it is absolutely mouthwatering!
Why you need to try this recipe
If you’ve struggled with dry, boring chicken breasts then you have to try this recipe. This Spinach Stuffed Chicken is so juicy and flavorful, your tastebuds won’t believe it. Pan-searing the breasts before baking them helps to lock in the flavor.
The stuffing is a mixture of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, which prevents the chicken from drying out too much as it cooks. And the buttery garlic pan sauce adds incredible flavor.
It’s incredibly easy to make, too. You can have this wonderful meal on the table in 50 minutes. With only 3.2g net carbs per serving!
Reader reviews
“This recipe is incredible and is one of my favorite go-tos. I’ve served to non-keto eaters and they adore it. Perfectly accompanied with some cauliflower rice with Basil and Pine Nuts. So good! Brilliant work Carolyn!” — Jasmine
“This is so good and easy. Love it and everyone in my family does, too!!” — Sarah G
“I made this two nights ago and it lasted for two of our dinners. It was excellent and a saver recipe. Where I live, there are no frozen vegetables, so I steamed fresh spinach in the Instant Pot, pushed the extra water out and used it that way. Delicious recipe.” — Ryan
Ingredients you need
- Chicken breasts: You need boneless, skinless breasts so that you can butterfly them properly. I recommend looking for medium size breasts so that they cook through a little faster and more evenly.
- Spinach: I use frozen spinach for this recipe, and I make sure to thaw it and drain it well. If you want to use fresh spinach, chop it up and cook it down first, and then make sure to press out most of the liquids.
- Ricotta: Use whole milk ricotta for a richer filling.
- Mozzarella: You can use pre-shredded mozzarella, or you can grate it yourself. Both work great!
- Parmesan: Again, you can use pre-grated Parmesan, or you can grate it yourself. I do recommend steering clear of the junky stuff in a can as it contains fillers that may add carbs.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds the best flavor to this Spinach Stuffed Chicken.
- Pantry staples: Butter, paprika, salt, pepper.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the stuffing: In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and 2 cloves of the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
2. Butterfly the chicken: Using a sharp knife, slice each chicken breast through the center, but don’t cut all the way through. Open each breast like a book.
3. Stuff the chicken: Stuff each chicken breast with one quarter of the spinach mixture and secure the opening with several toothpicks. Season the top and bottom of the breasts with paprika, salt, and pepper.
4. Pan fry: Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and let melt. Once hot, add the remaining garlic and then add the chicken breasts. Cook until golden brown on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
5. Bake to finish: Place the entire skillet in the oven and cook until the chicken reaches 165F on an instant read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
Expert tips
Stuffing chicken breasts really isn’t particularly difficult. But there are a few tricks to getting it right so that your filling doesn’t ooze out everywhere and leave you with empty chicken.
Choose smaller chicken breasts: Many store-bought chicken breasts are absurdly large, which makes it harder to cook through properly. They are also usually enhanced over-fed on grains, which makes them less healthy. Aim for medium-sized breasts, about 6 ounces each.
How to split chicken breasts: Lay the chicken down on a cutting board and used a sharp knife to cut a deep slit into the side of each breast. You want to make sure not to cut right through so that they open like a book. Then you can spread one side with the filling and fold the other side overtop.
Secure with toothpicks: Use 2 to 3 toothpicks per breast to close up the opening as best you can. Just don’t forget about them when it comes time to serve. You can simply tug and twist them gently to remove them and the breasts will retain their shape.
Pan-sear and then bake: Pan-searing the Spinach Stuffed Chicken adds phenomenal flavor and allows the outside to brown nicely. Baking in the oven ensures that the breasts cook through properly. I don’t recommend skipping either step.
Serve with the pan juices: The filling does ooze out a bit and between that and the butter and garlic, you have a gorgeous pan sauce to drizzle over the chicken as you serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest way to stuff chicken breast is to butterfly it first. Lay each breast flat on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice it horizontally through the middle, but don’t cut all the way through. Then you can open the breast like a book and fill it with any mixture of fillings.
How long it takes can depend on how large the breasts are and the type of stuffing. These Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts take 25 to 30 minutes to cook through completely. Make sure you check the internal temperature, as it should reach 165ºF in the thickest part of the breast.
This keto stuffed chicken recipe has 5.1g of carbohydrate and 1.9g of fiber. So it has 3.2g net carbs per serving.
What to serve with Spinach Stuffed Chicken
This delicious keto meal pairs with all your favorite sides. Here are a few you might try:
- Grilled Zucchini
- Cauliflower Risotto
- Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
- Ham and Cheese Baked Asparagus
- 7 Layer Salad
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash
More recipes you will enjoy
- Cheesy Spinach Squares
- Easy Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Walnut Crusted Chicken Breast
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Keto Calzone with Spinach and Artichokes
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
- ¼ cup butter divided
- 4 garlic cloves, minced divided
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Squeeze as much moisture as possible out of the spinach.
- In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and 2 cloves of the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
- Using a sharp knife, slice each chicken breast horizontally through the center, but don't cut all the way through. Open each breast like a book.
- Stuff each chicken breast with ¼ of this mixture and secure the opening with several toothpicks. Season the top and bottom of the breasts with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and let melt. Once hot, add the remaining garlic and then add the chicken breasts. Cook until golden brown on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Place the entire skillet in the oven and cook until the chicken reaches 165ºF on an instant read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
Carla Mihm says
I made this for supper tonight and it was excellent. I used cottage cheese in place of the ricotta cheese, otherwise followed recipe. I will definitely make it again. The flavor was so good with the buttery garlic! My husband gave it high praise and he doesn’t always eat my keto creations! Thank you for sharing. ❤️
Kim says
This is one of my favorite recipes. Even my husband eats it and he doesn’t like much that is “Keto”. It has great flavor, chicken is tender, and goes with just about any side. Made this for when we had company from out of town, it was a hit! They even asked for a copy of the recipe.
Carolyn says
I am so glad!
Joanne Deocampo says
This recipe was so much easier than I thought it would be. I thought cutting and stuffing the chicken would be so futsy and slow, but it was really easy and the whole recipe was pretty fast. It was delicious, too, and my teenagers gobbled it up!
Ramona Newell says
My husband and I really enjoyed this dish. He told me I should take a picture since it looks so appetizing. It tasted as good as it looked!
Jessica says
Decided to try this to shake up our dinner routine. We added a bit more cheese than recipe called for – it made a bit of grease for the re-heat, but cooked up and re-heated well. This will definitely become a regular at our table – we loved it!
Kathy-Jo says
This was SO GOOD!!! My whole family loved it!
Lana Praegitzer says
I made this stuffed chicken recipe the other day. I love to cook, but I don’t like spending hours in the kitchen to make my meal. This was so easy to do, first time butterflying breasts, no problem. Stuffed it full and followed recipe exactly except maybe a little extra on cheeses. It came out perfect and was delicious and it was perfect to halve as I only cooked 2 breasts. I loved it and so did my husband. It is definitely going to be done again and again!!!
Jessica says
My husband and I enjoyed preparing and eating this Spinach stuffed Chicken together as a date night. It was so simple to prepare! We paired it with a Caesar Salad mix. Before we finished our meal we were planning when to eat it again. We plan to serve it to guests in the future. It is quick & simple to prepare, looks amazing and tastes incredible!
Janet Ste. Marie says
Great Sunday night dinner. Quick ,easy, and oh so delightful. My son volunteered to take the left over piece of chicken.
Kelly says
Can you say delish, I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it’s a keeper..The aromas loafting through the house alone was enough to make you hungry and then you take your first bite… 🤤 Yummmm
Crystal B. says
Restaurant quality at home! These stuffed chicken breasts were easy to put together too. My teenagers also loved it. Next time, I might add some marinated artichokes to the filling. I might take the meat hammer to make the chicken breasts thinner so they’ll cook even quicker next time. This recipe is a winner, winner, chicken dinner at my house.
Penny Patterson says
I made this for myself and loved it! I am on a low carb diet and I prepare and freeze meals to eat later. This dish was easy and so delicous! It froze and reheated beautifully and was wonderful a week later! Try it, you’ll enjoy it!!
Carol Love Rice says
I made the Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe for our monthly Church Senior Game Day and received lots of good comments. Since it was for more than 4 people I sliced the cooked breasts into 1/2-3/4″ slices. They held together well and were easily served. Thank you for your great recipes.
Angie Hamilton says
So easy to make and enjoyed by the entire family! I used the extra spinach and threw together a quick side using broccoli and heavy whipping cream and cheese.
This will be a regular on our menu
Jane Barrett says
made this recipe last night didn’t have ricotta cheese so I used cottage cheese. it was a little tangy but still delicious and filling. had extra filling so I made a dip by adding extra cheese and scooped it with pork rinds, yummy 😋
Marcy says
This was a great quick and easy weeknight dinner. Great flavor, and the chicken breast stays moist, which isn’t always easy to achieve. Instead of slicing open the chicken breasts, I pounded them and then rolled them around the filling. I also tied them with cooking twine instead of using toothpicks. Worked great, and my husband really loved it.
Tracy Sheehy says
This recipe was so easy to assemble and it is impressive enough to serve at a dinner party! It tastes fantastic too!
Erik says
This recipe was delicious! The cheesy spinach in the chicken was so fantastic. This going in our regular rotation for sure!
Karen Barnhart says
I just finished this and it was so good. I was worried because other times I have tried to stuff chicken the filling all runs out. Not with this recipe. Very flavorful and the chicken stays moist. Will definitely make this often.
MAUREEN VIETH says
So simple. The hardest part was splitting the chicken breasts and that really wasn’t difficult at all. The taste is out of this world! definitely tucked all my week night dinner boxes: fast, easy, and delicious!
Lisa Hoagland says
Our family loved this! I loved how easy it was and that it was different from our typical chicken and bbq dipping sauce. I didn’t have ricotta so I used cream cheese and I think it still turned out well!