I shared this fun, flavorful stuffed chicken recipe 5 years ago and it’s still SUCH a hit with all of you. I hope you’re ready to get cooking in the kitchen and dancing while you do it.
What could be better than this easy goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe that’s made in one pan, takes only 30 minutes, is packed with protein, and is absolutely delicious?!
I paired this delicious spinach stuffed chicken with caramelized onions and mushrooms to give it extra savory flavor and OMG the result is out-of-this-world amazing. Feel free to serve the chicken as is or check out some of my favorite sides for pairing at the bottom of this post!
Ingredients in this goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken
The best part about this easy spinach stuffed chicken recipe is that it requires minimal ingredients but the result is so delicious and feels a little fancy. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken: we’re cooking up 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Be sure they’re similar in size, about 4-6 ounces each.
- Olive oil: you’ll need this for cooking up the chicken and veggies.
- Vegetables: we’re using fresh spinach, an onion, and baby bella mushrooms in this recipe.
- Cheese: I love adding tangy goat cheese to the spinach mixture, but see below for additional options!
- Herbs & spices: you’ll need some garlic powder, fresh thyme, salt & black pepper. Looking for a kick of heat? Add some red pepper flakes to the filling!
- Optional: if you want to add a little deeper flavor get your balsamic vinegar ready for the onion and mushrooms.
Customize with your favorite cheese
Instead of goat cheese, I think cream cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese would be delicious mixed with the spinach! Just be sure to use a cheese that gets nice and creamy. You could also add a little parmesan cheese to the filling for extra savory, salty flavor!
Goat cheese and spinach stuffed chicken in 5 easy steps
This spinach stuffed chicken recipe is easier to make than most stuffed chicken breast recipes because instead of having to butterfly and pound a chicken breast down, you simply cut the chicken ‘hasselback style’ on top, stuff it with cooked spinach and goat cheese (or cheese of choice), then bake it in the oven and you’re done. Here’s how to make stuffed chicken breast:
- Prep your chicken. Use a sharp knife to cut 6 slits into the top of each chicken breast, making sure you don’t cut all the way through to the bottom of the chicken breast. Drizzle each chicken breast with a little olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
- Make the stuffing. Cook the spinach filling and then add to a bowl with goat cheese to combine the mixture.
- Stuff the chicken. Add cheese and spinach filling the slits in the chicken breast.
- Caramelize the onions. Cook your onions & mushrooms in the same skillet until the onions begin to caramelize, then make room for the chicken in the skillet.
- Bake & serve. Bake until chicken is completely cooked and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F, then serve it up!
How long do you cook stuffed chicken?
Since chicken breasts tend to vary in size, I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken breast is fully cooked; the temperature should read 165 degrees F. Typically, I cook my chicken breasts at 375 degrees F for anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on their size.
Tools you’ll need: I recommend an oven-safe skillet and a meat thermometer for this recipe. No need for toothpicks as we’re not butterflying the chicken breasts so you won’t need them to hold the chicken together!
Storing tips
- In the fridge: store any leftovers chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- In the freezer: let the chicken completely cool, then wrap them well with plastic wrap and tinfoil before transferring them to the freezer for up to 3 months. No need to thaw, simply reheat the chicken in the oven at 325 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until heated through.
What to serve with this dish
- Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Greek Chickpea Chopped Salad
- Vegan Curried Chickpea Broccoli Salad
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Cauliflower Salad
Get all of my side dishes here, and my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Caramelized Onions + Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (about 4-6 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 cups organic spinach
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Optional: 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a sharp knife to hasselback each chicken breast, and cut 6 slits into the top of each breast, making sure you don’t cut all the way through to the bottom of the chicken breast. Drizzle each chicken breast with a little olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat and add in ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Add in spinach and season with garlic powder. Cook, stirring occasionally until spinach is fully wilted.
- Transfer cooked spinach to a medium bowl and add in goat cheese. Stir until well combined. Stuff each slit with the spinach/goat cheese mixture.
- Next add a 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add in sliced onions, mushrooms, fresh thyme, optional balsamic vinegar and season with a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions begin to caramelize and mushrooms turn golden brown. Make room for the chicken by moving the mushrooms and onions to the sides of the skillet.
- Add chicken to the skillet, making sure there is a little bit of room between each chicken breast; you may need to rearrange the mushrooms and onions. Transfer to oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on April 2nd, 2019, and republished on April 17th, 2024.
Oh my gosh! I made this tonight and it was delicious! Even my picky Daughter & Grandson (especially him) loved it! I only used 3 chicken breasts & made a few little tweaks based on the ingredients I had on-hand. I steamed the spinach in the microwave, added thin, slivered white mushrooms, then added maybe 2-3 tablespoons of garlic & herb goat cheese. I cooked the chicken most of the way in my cast iron skillet with maybe a tablespoon of EVOO and turned frequently. I stuffed the mixture in the slits. I placed some sliced red & yellow grape tomatoes on top and added just a small amount of shredded mozzarella & freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I covered the skillet and baked for another 20 minutes or so. It was absolutely amazing! I served it with your green beans with crushed almonds, garlic, seasalt & cracked peppercorns.
Sounds like such a great dinner! Glad it was a hit!
We’ve made this recipe 6+ times and its always a hit! super easy to make, the onions add an amazing amount of flavor to a simple recipe. I’ve forgotten to pickup goat cheese a couple times and cream cheese works fine, too!
EXCELLENT! I make this every other month like clockwork, delicious, for quite a while now! It is a hit.
Love that!!
I followed this recipe exactly and I’m not sure if it’s because my chicken breasts were pretty big, but I probably could have doubled the spinach and goat cheese filling. They came out a little bland. Over all it’s a good, healthy recipe and I will make it again.
It definitely could’ve been the size of your chicken breasts if you didn’t get a good amount of filling in every bite! Feel free to double the filling next time if you have bigger pieces of chicken, and add a little extra garlic powder and/or salt if you’d like.
Yummy & delicious. Didn’t have spinach but had bottled basil pesto and worked great as a substitute. Will definitely make again
This recipe was such a tasty weeknight surprise! Really great flavors from simple healthy ingredients, will definitely be part of the weekly rotation!
This is a staple when we want a low-carb but filling meal! My husband won’t do goat cheese, so I sub cream cheese with a little shredded gruyere and it comes out wonderfully. I always want more of the balsamic veggies, so I squeeze as many as I can in the pan 🙂
excellent – so glad you both loved this recipe and it turned out great 🙂
Could you do this with thighs?
Sorry, but this didn’t do it for me. The reviews were so great, but I found it lacking in flavor. So disappointed as I served it to guests. At least the rest of the meal was a winner!
Amazing dish. I doubled the amount of goat cheese and spinach as I had bigger chicken breasts. Absolutely delish.
Great call. Glad you loved it, Sarah!
This recipe is scrumptious – I used garlic and herb goat cheese, so I didn’t need the thyme. It is easy to make and the chicken stays moist.
A favorite to make, ( I skip the oil and use a bit of spray or saute veggies in broth to save a few calories for us, I just am accostomed to cooking that way now) sometimes I use reduced fat feta also, but goat cheese is wonderful here. Like the preperation method, great for company dinner.
I made the recipe as except I used herbed goat cheese from Trader Joe’s. Husband,sons, and grandson loved it! It was a big hit! I look forward to making it again!
Oh that sounds amazing! SO happy you all loved it 🙂
What does “hassleback” mean? Thanks.
Hi, there! It’s when you make cuts across something multiple times. You may have seen hasselback potatoes!
This was fabulous – and easy as per the instructions and made for especially easy cleanup – all one pan! We topped it off with a little grated Asiago and did drizzle the chicken with a balsamic glaze (de Neigris from Costco – Canada) prior to cooking. Definitely make again!
Many thanks for another great recipe!
Woohoooo I’m so glad you loved it! And balsamic glaze sounds amazing on here 😍
What a delicious dinner! And easy to make but looks/tastes like it wasn’t! Thank you so much for this keeper.
So glad it was easy and that you loved it, Michelle!
I’m a huge fan of goat cheese so I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to love this recipe. My chicken breasts were somewhat flat so instead of slicing them hasselback style, I butterflied them, stuffed them, browned them and continued on with the rest of the recipe. I will definitely make this again.
That’s such a good way to do it! Happy to hear you loved it 🙂
This is a super easy and savory dish! I have never had goat cheese so I subbed for ricotta and it still turned out just as good. I served my dish with brussel sprouts along with the whites and mushrooms suggested. So good and my family loved it as well.
What a wonderful recipe! So delicious and beautiful to look at! Since I didn’t have fresh spinach, I used frozen instead… steamed it, then added the cream cheese/mozzarella mixture to it. Worked very well.
Absolutely loved the caramelized onions and mushrooms and the tasty stuffed chicken. You mention a “sauce” for the chicken to cook in. I also see a liquid/sauce in your photo of this dish. I wanted that sauce, but when I made it, there was none. Where does the liquid come from? Should I add some chicken broth to the pan before cooking?
So happy you loved it, Laura! There’s some moisture from the onions, mushrooms and balsamic vinegar (what I call the “sauce”) but feel free to add some chicken broth or even just a splash of water if you want it to be saucier. Sorry if that was unclear!
Delicious! I LOVE goat cheese, and the cheese spinach mixture is so good! Husband strongly dislikes mushrooms but has been really liking the onions and mushrooms together. We paired it with your Roasted Garlic Pesto Potatoes with Arugula. Thank you for the recipe!
Yay! So glad that he’s been enjoying the mushrooms in here 🙂 And yummm that’s a great side for this one!
This recipe was very good! The liquid from the spinach and mushrooms kept the chicken from getting dry, and the flavors were amazing! We added a fig balsamic vinegar to the chicken before we baked it and then a fresh drizzle when it came out of the oven. Would definitely make again!
So happy you loved this one, McKenna! And yummm that fig balsamic sounds amazing 🙂