This recipe for spinach and feta stuffed chicken is a great dish to add to your week's meal plan. These juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken breasts are stuffed with a delicious spinach and feta mixture, quickly seared until golden brown and then baked in the oven.Â
This healthy chicken dish is great for a weeknight meal at home when you are looking for something filling but on the lighter side. It makes great leftovers too, so make it at the beginning of the week and have it for lunch throughout the week!
If you are looking for more chicken recipes, check out our: Chicken Pastina Soup, Chicken Limone, or Tuscan Chicken Pasta.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Healthy - This recipe is perfect if you are trying to eat on the healthier side. The chicken breasts are seasoned and baked with a flavorful feta stuffing which makes it healthy and delicious at the same time! Plus, it gives you a bonus serving of greens!
Simple - Stuffing a chicken breast can seem intimidating, but it really is quite simple. The spinach and feta filling takes just minutes to make and stuffing the chicken breasts takes no time at all. You can have this ready to pop in the oven in about 20 minutes.
Impressive - The stuffed chicken breasts make for a great presentation on your dinner plate. You can serve this with a green salad, mashed potatoes, and white wine for a beautiful and well balanced meal! This would be a great recipe idea for a dinner party!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this easy chicken dinner:
- Chicken: Use skinless boneless chicken breasts. I like using large chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt & black pepper
- Olive oil
- Spinach: Use fresh spinach.
- Feta cheese: You can use a block or crumbles. If you don't like feta, you could use mozzarella cheese.
- Fresh Garlic
Directions
Let's make this spinach and feta stuffed chicken breast recipe together!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Step 2: In a large sauté pan or large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until it is wilting, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 3: Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until the spinach is fully wilted and all excess moisture is cooked off. Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 4: Add the feta to the spinach mixture. Stir to combine and then set it aside while you prepare the chicken.
Step 5: Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and pat them dry with a paper towel. Using a sharp knife, gently make a horizontal slit through the middle of the breast, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Step 6: In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over both sides of the chicken breasts.
Step 7: Stuff the center of each chicken breast with spinach filling. Close pockets, securing with toothpicks.
Step 8: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the stuffed breasts. Sear for about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Step 9: Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F. If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, you transfer chicken to a sheet pan or oven-safe baking dish before baking.
Expert Tips and Tricks
Here are some expert tips to make this chicken breast recipe:
Don't cut through the chicken breast - Be careful to not cut all the way through the chicken breast. You want to cut a slit, creating a little pocket for the filling.
Uniform chicken breasts - You will want to have chicken breasts that are equal in size. If needed, use a meat mallet to pound the breasts down so they are equal in thickness.
Use a meat thermometer - To ensure that the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, insert an oven safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the chicken breasts.
Get a good sear - In order to get a good sear on the outside of your chicken breasts, don't move them once you have placed them in the pan. Wait about 5 minutes before checking and flipping. The less they get moved around, the better the sear on the outside will be!
Kitchen Equipment
Here is some kitchen equipment you will need for this great recipe. You can find all of these products on Amazon.
Large Sauté Pan - This is my favorite saute pan.
Toothpicks - Need more toothpicks? Buy some in bulk on Amazon!
Cast Iron Skillet - Every home cook needs a good cast iron skillet! We recommend a quality piece like this one that will last for years and years.
Meat Thermometer - A meat thermometer is one of the best ways to ensure perfectly cooked chicken. This one is an instant thermometer that works great!
Recipe Substitutions/Variations
Here are some common recipe substitutions and variations for this recipe.
Cheese - You could try using goat cheese or ricotta in place of the feta.
Seasoning - Taste the spinach filling before you fill your chicken breasts and add salt and pepper if needed. Feel free to get creative with how you season the chicken breasts. You could sprinkle them with some paprika or oregano for a bit of a different flavor.
Filling - Feel free to add anything to the filling that sounds like it would be good. Sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese or green onions would be great additions.
What To Serve With
Here are some recipes to serve alongside this recipe:
Simple Red Skin Mashed Potatoes - These Simple Red Skin Mashed potatoes are easy, delicious, and have only 5 ingredients!
Caprese Pasta Salad - It's an easy weeknight recipe that's ready in less than 20 minutes.
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Butternut Squash - This recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or even a holiday side dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Frozen spinach would work fine for this. You will need to completely thaw and then squeeze out as much water before using it though.
No. Feel free to use any ovenproof skillet that you have for this recipe.Â
Recipe Storage and Reheating
Here are storage instructions for this great recipe:
Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container and eat leftovers within 4-5 days.
Freezer Storage: Freeze in a freezer-safe, airtight container and keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as instructed below.
Reheating Instructions: The best way to reheat this recipe is to heat in a skillet with a little olive oil over low heat until warm.
Other Recipes to Try
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add spinach, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until wilting.
- Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Sauté until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and add feta, then combine and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Pat chicken breasts dry. Gently make a slit in each chicken breast horizontally, not cutting all the way through.
- Combine garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chicken. Stuff chicken breasts with spinach filling and secure with toothpicks.
- Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil and chicken and sear for 5 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Amanda S. says
This was so good and so easy to make! It is a great healthy and flavorful dish to make for the week! I paired it with some orzo with spinach and feta, but it could really be paired with anything. I highly recommend making this!
Christina Musgrave says
Yay! So happy you liked the recipe! Love that you paired this with orzo, spinach, and feta - that sounds perfect!