Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe
You could use any semi-soft cheese you'd like to flavor this recipe. Cheddar, Havarti, and Swiss are all great choices.
SERVES ► 4
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup shredded Muenster cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
Carefully cut the meat away from the bone, leaving the skin attached. Save the bone for Chicken Stock.
Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the flesh, leaving the skin attached at one side. Set aside.
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the spinach; cook and stir until liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and place spinach in a small bowl; add bread crumbs, thyme, basil, half of the salt, the pepper, and the Muenster cheese and mix well.
Stuff this mixture between the chicken and the skin, spreading evenly and smoothing the skin back over the flesh.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt the butter in same saucepan.
Sprinkle the remaining salt over the chicken, and place, skin side down, in the hot butter. Cook for 3 minutes without moving the chicken. Then shake the pan to loosen chicken and cook for 2–4 minutes longer until skin is brown and crisp.
Carefully turn chicken, then move pan to preheated oven and cook for 10–14 minutes longer until the chicken registers 170°F. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
Making It Safe
You can make any stuffing for poultry ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. What you shouldn't do is stuff the poultry ahead of time. For safety reasons, you can heat the stuffing in the microwave before you stuff the chicken or turkey. This helps quickly bring the stuffing up to a safe temperature.
