Looking for a more exciting recipe for chicken breast and have leftover stuffing? Stuffed chicken breast with stuffing is comfort food at its finest with gently seasoned chicken stuffed with your favorite stuffing and parmesan cheese. It's the perfect weeknight dinner.
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When it comes to chicken, I sometimes get into a rut. My go-to recipe has been baking chicken very simply and focusing on other healthy sides like butternut squash mash, roasted carrots, or my favorite citrus and fennel salad. The problem is that we're all sick of chicken breast. I can already hear my kids complain -- "It's chicken again tonight??" I would normally tell them without telling them to shut their face and be happy to have food on the table except...I...kinda...feel the same way. "It's chicken again tonight??" I think.
Enter a sexier way to eat chicken breast that's barely harder than how I've been preparing chicken breast and makes eating chicken breasts enjoyable again. Stuffing is one of the my favorite parts of Thanksgiving, so it's only natural that I'd combine the two. While we're at it, let's start a campaign where we eat stuffing all year (okay, at least all fall and winter).
Whether you make the stuffed chicken breast with stuffing for your holiday table or eat it on a Thursday night because you just love stuffing (me!), this chicken dinner makes eating chicken breast exciting again.
Stuffing vs. Dressing: What's the friggin' difference?
In the South, there's a very big distinction between stuffing and dressing. The main difference is where the bread and herb mixture cooks.
Dressing is cooked in a pot and then baked in a casserole dish. Stuffing starts the same way but finishes baking in the cavity of something -- with the most common cavity being a turkey. I shy away from saying dressing only belongs in the cavity of an animal because you could do stuffing stuffed mushrooms (this would be delicious!).
This recipe takes the concept of stuffing to a chicken breast -- with a bread, herb, and vegetable-based dressing shoved into the middle of a chicken breast with parmesan cheese to make ooey gooey deliciousness.
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There are a lot of recipes for stuffing chicken breasts, but friend, it's time for stuffing your chicken breast with stuffing! If you love this recipe, you'll also love these Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs, basically Thanksgiving dinner in one delicious bite!
Jump to:
- Stuffing vs. Dressing: What's the friggin' difference?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Cook Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing: Oven Method
- The Stovetop Method
- Make It Your Own with These Variations
- Tips of the Trade
- What to Eat with the Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing
- Serving Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Storing & Reheating Instructions
- FAQ
- Other Delicious Chicken & Turkey Dinners
- Favorites Side Dishes
- Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing
Ingredients You'll Need
The ingredients required are incredibly minimal, particularly if you've already made your stuffing.
- Pre-made Stuffing -- I prefer Pepperidge Farms herb stuffing (the one that comes in the blue wrapper), but you could also use Stove Top stuffing just as well. If you haven't made your stuffing yet, do this before moving on with the rest of the recipe. It will take you no longer than 15 minutes to make from a box! Make according to package directions but don't bake yet. We add celery and onions to our boxed stuffing, but you don't have to.
- Spices - I season the chicken with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Feel free to use whatever seasoning you like on your chicken. It's the same seasoning blend I use in in my pan-seared chicken breast recipe.
- Parmesan cheese - I like the parmesan flakes because they're thicker, which means cheesy spots in your chicken. If you don't like cheesy spots, you're a monster!
- Chicken breasts -- The thicker the chicken breasts, the better here. This is the meal where I opt to not buy organic chicken breasts because those tend to be smaller than the other chicken breasts. Buy the big boys. Thick chicken breasts make it much easier to slice and then stuff.
The recipe card below will have all of the quantities and detailed instructions!
How to Cook Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing: Oven Method
The process for making stuffing stuffed chicken breast in the oven is not complicated. The whole process will take under 45 minutes from start to finish (assuming you've already made your stuffing or are using leftover stuffing).
- Step 1: Pat chicken dry with a papertowel. Cut a slit lengthwise into the thickest part of the chicken breast to form a pocket. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
- Step 2: Stuff chicken breasts with stuffing and parmesan cheese.
- Step 3: Season the tops of the chicken breast with the spices.
- Step 4: Cover and cook in a 350ËšF for 3-40 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken gets to 165ËšF.
Voila! You know your chicken breasts stuffed with stuffing is ready when the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165ËšF.
OPTIONAL: If you'd like your chicken and stuffing to get a little crunch on top, stick the chicken breasts under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until a crispy layer forms. Be careful to not put the chicken under the broiler too long though!
The Stovetop Method
You can easily make the stuffing stuffed chicken on the stovetop as well. You'd follow the same instructions until you get ready to cook the chicken. Instead of baking the chicken, you'll use a cast iron pan or non-stick skillet. Sear the chicken breast on each side for 5 minutes. When it's time to flip, continue searing the other side but put the lid on the chicken for the last two minutes to retain some of the moisture.
You know your chicken is cooked through when a thermometer shows the meat is cooked to 165ËšF or higher.
Make It Your Own with These Variations
This concept of stuffing chicken breasts with stuffing can be applied with many variations. For example:
- Cheese - experiment using other cheese or leave the cheese out all together. Cream cheese is a popular cheese used to stuff chicken breasts. A high-quality white cheddar cheese would also be delicious.
- Seasoning - use whatever seasoning you love on your chicken. We also love lemon pepper, Lawry's seasoning salt, and umami seasoning I buy at Trader Joe's.
- Other ingredients - I haven't tried this, but I bet putting a little bit of some homemade cranberry sauce would be extra delicious in these stuffed chicken breast with stuffing babies. You could also easily add cooked bacon for a salty, meaty inside.
Tips of the Trade
As you're making this recipe, consider the following tips to make sure the recipe meets your high standards:
- Use a sharp knife - Dull knives are terrible for cutting open a chicken breast. Also be careful to not slice through the whole breast or else you won't be left with a nice little pocket to fill with your stuffing.
- Embrace a meat thermometer - When I'm stuffing chicken breasts, I always use a meat thermometer to make sure the thickest part of the chicken breast gets to an internal temperature of 165ËšF.
What to Eat with the Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing
- Simply cooked vegetable -- I like serving this with green beans or asparagus, something I can cook on the stovetop if I'm using the oven for the chicken. If I'm cooking the chicken on the stovetop, then roasting Brussels sprouts, broccoli or potatoes would be great. Serve with extra parmesan cheese and <<chef's kiss>>!
- A side salad -- Love an apple and candied pecan salad (the dressing is so perfect for fall and winter especially) or a warm kale and farro salad.
- A simple soup -- A roasted butternut squash soup or creamy pumpkin soup would be perfect with this. It's so hearty and comforting (while being extremely healthy).
Serving Stuffed Chicken Breasts
You've gone through the effort of cutting open a chicken breast, stuffing it, then cooking it. Don't let your beautiful creation go to waste when it comes time to plate. Stuffed chicken breasts look beautiful when they are thickly sliced, then served on their sides so you can see the fruits of your labor. This is also how we get away with feeding 4 people and only baking 3 chicken breasts.
Serve with roasted asparagus or sautéed green beans to add some green on the plate. It's quite a beautiful presentation!
Finally, I like to pour a little chicken gravy, turkey gravy, or onion gravy over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Isn't the plate beautiful?
Storing & Reheating Instructions
For leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Re-heat in the oven at 350Ëš for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Make in advance: You can make the stuffed chicken breasts with stuffing in advance. Stuff the chicken breasts and place covered in the refrigerator overnight. Then bake as directed (or use the stovetop method).
FAQ
The chicken breast should take between 30-40 minutes to cook. Always check with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165ËšF. That's how you know it's done.
Yes, you can make this the night before and reheat in the oven. I'd put the chicken breast in an oven-safe dish and stick in a 350ËšF oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
Other Delicious Chicken & Turkey Dinners
Try these other chicken and turkey dinners you'll love:
Favorites Side Dishes
These are my favorite side dishes to pair with stuffed chicken breast with stuffing:
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cooked stuffing I use Pepperidge Farms or Stovetop stuffing
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese flakes
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup gravy optional for serving
Instructions
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Make a slit on the thickest part of the side of each chicken breast so you form a wide pocket. Be careful not to cut the chicken breast all the way through.
- Mix all of the spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper) together in a small bowl. Massage the spices on the tops of the chicken until the tops are well coated.
- Stuff each chicken breast with ⅓ of the stuffing and parmesan cheese so the stuffing fits into each chicken breast pocket nicely. It's okay if the stuffing is overflowing a bit.
- Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Place the stuffed chicken breast in a small dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. A meat thermometer should be at 165ËšF or above to ensure it's done.
- Stovetop Method: Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet with olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the stuffed chicken breast (I do only 3 at a time to not overcrowd the pan if you're making more). Do not touch chicken for 5 minutes, allowing the chicken to get a nice sear. When chicken easily comes off the pan and it's browned, you know it's ready to flip. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes but place the lid on the chicken for the last 2 of those minutes. A meat thermometer should be at 165ËšF or above to ensure it's done.
- Serve by cutting the chicken breasts into thick slices. Drizzle with gravy and top with fresh parsley (optional). Enjoy!
B says
Your stove top method is complete BS. Chicken was totally raw inside after 5 minutes on THREE sides and an 8 minute stint on the stuffing side on low for good measure. And I probably have salmonella poisoning from eating bits of stuffing that fell off when I transferred to a cutting board for serving. Did you actually cook this?
Kathryn says
It works -- AND, of course with any recipe, it depends on how large your chicken breasts are, how high your heat is, what type of pan you're using, etc. It's always best to use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is fully cooked at 165ËšF or above.