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If you’re looking for a fun way to switch up your chicken dinner recipes, try this spinach feta stuffed chicken. You may have seen the Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken or the Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken and this a similar concept of juicy well seasoned chicken stuffed with a flavorful blend of feta cheese and spinach.
Seasoning chicken breast traditionally adds great flavor. But stuffing a chicken breast with a blend of cheese, vegetables and spices takes chicken to another level. It’s the ultimate way to load up chicken breast with more flavor!
Ingredients & substitutions
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Cut into them with a sharp knife to make a pocket before stuffing them.
- Seasonings: Paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper.
- Oil: For cooking. I like to use olive oil, but canola or vegetable will work great too.
- Spinach: I’m using frozen spinach for this stuffed chicken recipe. Quickly thaw it in the microwave water for a couple of minutes and then squeeze dry as much as possible. You can also use fresh baby spinach, but chop it up finely so it’s easier to stuff.
- Feta cheese: This Greek cheese creates a creamy and briny filling. Goat cheese can also be used or even mozzarella cheese if you’d like.
- Ricotta cheese: This adds a great texture and is mild in flavor and helps everything stick together. Cottage cheese can be used in a pinch.
- Aromatics for the filling: Chopped scallions, minced garlic and dried dill.
How to make spinach & feta stuffed chicken
- Cut the chicken breasts to form a pocket, don’t cut all the way through.
- Season the breasts thoroughly on the outside and even inside.
- Mix the filling together and spoon into the chicken breast pocket.
- Secure the chicken with toothpicks so that the filling doesn’t fall out.
- Sear the breasts on both sides in a skillet, but don’t worry about cooking it through.
- Oven bake until the chicken is cooked through and golden on the outside.
Tips for making stuffed chicken
- Pound the chicken with a mallet or rolling pin so they are equal in size. This will allow the stuffed chicken to cook evenly in the oven so that they are all done cooking together.
- Use an instant read thermometer, which should register at 165F. This is the best way to ensure that your chicken is cooked all the way through. The chicken should be an even and opaque white color throughout when you slice it open.
- Don’t overfill the chicken breasts. Divide the stuffing mixture evenly between the chicken and secure them with toothpicks so that the fillings don’t fall out. Remember to remove the toothpicks to serve! 😉
- Don’t cut the chicken breasts fully in half. Use a small sharp knife to cut into the breast lengthways to form a pocket. If you cut them all the way in half the filling will leak out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because these chicken breasts are cooked on the stovetop and in the oven, you will need to use an oven-safe skillet, a cast iron skillet is ideal. If you don’t have one, you can cook the chicken in a skillet on the stovetop then transfer the breasts to an oven-safe baking dish for the oven time.
If you do have leftovers, they will keep well, covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the chicken, covered with foil, in the oven at 350F for around 15 minutes until warmed through.
This Greek stuffed chicken is perfect to serve with vegetable and potato side dishes for a healthy well balanced meal. Try them with:
Green Bean Salad
Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Roasted Potatoes
This Greek inspired spinach and feta stuffed chicken is an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Simple to make and bursting with flavor, it’s perfect to include on your weekly meal rotation.
More chicken recipes:
- Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- Rosemary Roasted Whole Chicken
- Honey and Browned Butter Chicken
- Grilled Harissa Chicken
- Creamy Pesto Chicken
- Pomegranate Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Skillet Cilantro Chicken
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken recipe was originally published on March 25, 2017. The stuffing ingredients for the chicken have been slightly modified and the recipe post has been updated to include step-by-step photos.
Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the filling
- 5 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed squeezed dry
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Make a horizontal slit in the thickest part of the chicken breast to create a pocket, making sure not to cut all the way through.
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Season the chicken breast with the seasoning and use your hands to rub the seasoning on both sides of the chicken.
- In a small bowl, combine the spinach, feta cheese, ricotta cheese, scallions, garlic and dill. Stuff the mixture evenly inside the chicken breast, then use a couple toothpicks to close each pocket.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add the stuffed chicken and sear until lightly golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven uncovered and bake until cooked through, about 15-18 minutes. Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes if needed to brown the skin.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Can’t use Ricotta; can I use cottage cheese?
Yes, you can!
So delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you liked it!!
I didn’t have ricotta but this still turned out 🔥 I love the bold earthy flavors from the feta and spinach. Sooo good and will definitely add to my rotation.
I paired this with oven roasted sweet potatoes.
375 for 30 mins or until done to your liking.
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Toss in olive oil salt pepper nutmeg, place on parchment lined pan.
Love the pairing, thanks for sharing!
I just made this with steamed broccoli and roasted potato on the side and it was soo good. We do not have an oven safe skillet so we cooked it in the oven at 400 Fahrenheit for 40min and it cooked thoroughly with a nice golden brown color.
Love the sides you chose to go with it, and glad roasting the chicken turned out well for you. Thanks for letting me know!
Can I put directly in oven instead of skillet first? What would be the optimal temp & time with this method?
I have not made it that way, so I am really not sure. You’d still want to do 400 and most likely add 7-8 minutes on for cooking time. That being said I am really not sure, so just make sure you chicken is done before you pull it out of the oven.
Can you use fresh instead of frozen spinach?
Hi Emily, that should be fine!