Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken (Printable)
Juicy chicken breasts filled with spinach, feta, and herbs, baked until tender and flavorful.
# What You Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, approximately 6 ounces each
→ Filling
02 - 4 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
03 - 3.5 ounces crumbled feta cheese
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
08 - ½ teaspoon lemon zest
09 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
10 - ¼ teaspoon salt
→ Seasoning
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - ½ teaspoon paprika
13 - ½ teaspoon salt
14 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
02 - In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the spinach for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
03 - Squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach. Combine spinach, feta, cream cheese, garlic, dill, parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
04 - Pat the chicken breasts dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal pocket into the thickest part of each breast, taking care not to cut through completely.
05 - Fill each chicken breast pocket with an equal portion of the spinach and feta mixture. Secure openings with toothpicks if necessary.
06 - Brush chicken breasts with olive oil. Season both sides with paprika, salt, and black pepper.
07 - Place stuffed breasts in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and juices run clear.
08 - Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- One pan, impressive results, and your guests will think you spent way more time on dinner than you actually did.
- The spinach and feta filling stays juicy while the chicken cooks through, creating this perfect balance of tender and flavorful that's hard to mess up.
- It's naturally gluten-free and low-carb, but tastes indulgent enough that no one will notice you skipped the bread.
02 -
- Squeezing the moisture out of the spinach is non-negotiable; if you skip this, the filling becomes watery and seeps out during baking, creating a soggy chicken breast.
- Don't skip the resting period—I learned this the hard way when I cut into chicken straight out of the oven and watched all the juices run out onto the plate instead of staying inside the meat.
03 -
- A meat thermometer removes all the guesswork and anxiety about whether the chicken is actually done; it's the single best investment for confident cooking.
- If your chicken breasts are very thick or very thin compared to each other, gently pound them to an even thickness so they cook uniformly without dry spots.