With all the flavors of your favorite dish of pasta, Italian stuffed chicken breasts are a family-favorite dinner. Chicken coated in crispy breadcrumbs, stuffed with spinach and melted cheese then topped with zesty marinara sauce. It's a meal you'll want to repeat!
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Healthy Chicken Recipe
Baked stuffed chicken breast oozes with savory mozzarella cheese and sweet marinara sauce. You won't believe this recipe is good for you! Frozen spinach is high in vitamins A and C and a wonderful source of iron, It's also a high-protein meal, thanks to the chicken and all the cheese.
Chicken is one of my favorite meats to cook. It's a healthy, lean protein, is liked by many and there are so many incredibly different and delicious ways to fix chicken. Next time you're planning dinner, try Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa, and Cuban Chicken to switch things up.
Why You'll Love This Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
If you love chicken parmesan and lasagna, this recipe is for you! These cheesy stuffed chicken breasts feature ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses, just like lasagna.
Cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breasts are a family-friendly meal that looks and tastes fancy, but is actually a simple recipe.
How easy they are to make isn't the only good thing about them. The chicken has a crispy crust and is covered with marinara and cheese like chicken parmesan.
These easy stuffed chicken breasts are baked in the oven so there's no frying involved. And clean-up is as easy as the cooking!
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- Frozen spinach - thaw spinach and make sure to squeeze as much water out of it as you can
- Ricotta cheese
- Grated Parmesan cheese - fresh grated will work much better than packaged grated cheese
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Eggs
- Seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- Marinara sauce
- Olive oil spray
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Prepare the cheesy filling by placing spinach with excess water removed, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and eggs in a medium bowl.
- Stir well and set aside.
- Pat chicken dry. If you are using chicken cutlets they should be thin enough to use as is. If you are using thicker chicken breasts, cut them horizontally in half or pound them thin then cut them in half. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
- Spread the spinach mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Roll each chicken breast up starting at one of the narrow ends.
- Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Whisk egg with 1-2 teaspoons of water in a wide-mouthed bowl. Dip each stuffed chicken breast in the egg wash. Lift and let the excess drain back into the bowl.
- Immediately place in a bowl of seasoned bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese. Coat all sides.
- Place the coated chicken breasts in a baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
- Bake for 25 minutes in a 450-degree oven.
- Top the baked stuffed chicken breasts with your favorite marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Like browner cheese? Place the baking dish under the broiler for the last 3 minutes.
Cooking Time for Stuffed Chicken Breasts
If you are wondering "how long do stuffed chicken breasts take to cook?", the cooking time can vary depending on the temperature of the oven and the thickness of the stuffed chicken.
It takes about 30 to 35 minutes to bake these Italian stuffed chicken breasts at 450°F. There is an initial baking time of 25 minutes then an additional 5 to 10 minutes of baking time after adding marinara and cheese.
Recipe Variation
If you want to make Italian prosciutto stuffed chicken breasts, you can add ¼ cup of chopped prosciutto to the filling mixture.
Make Ahead Stuffed Chicken Breasts
You can make the stuffed chicken a day in advance. Simply prepare it except for baking. Use a metal baking dish because a glass one will shatter if baked straight from the cold fridge. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
When ready to bake, take it out of the fridge and preheat the oven. Bake the chicken as directed.
What to Serve with Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan
- Salad - A simple green salad, Caesar salad, or Pear and Rocket Salad.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
To Store: Cover the leftovers with plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: Transfer the leftovers to a freezer-safe container. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
To Reheat: Place the stuffed chicken breasts in an oven-safe dish or baking pan. Cover it with foil. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes or until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap or inside a large zip-top bag. Use the flat side of a meat mallet, rolling pin, or another heavy object to pound the chicken to an even thickness.
The best way to stuff chicken breast is to slice the chicken in half horizontally, but not all the way through. Spread out the chicken and pound it until it is an even thickness. Place the filling on top and roll up the chicken. Use toothpicks to secure the edges.
To prevent cheese from oozing out of stuffed chicken, you should secure the edges with toothpicks or cooking twine.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Baked Salsa Chicken
- BBQ Baked Chicken Breast
- Chicken Stir Fry with Plum Sauce
- Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas
Find lots of easy chicken dinner recipes right here on 2CM!
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Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 3 large chicken breasts sliced horizontally & pounded thin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10 oz frozen spinach thawed & squeezed of excess water
- 6 Tablespoons ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 eggs separated
- ¾ cup seasoned panko
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray an 8×11-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally. Place in a resealable plastic bag and pound thin. Remove and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, combine spinach, which has been squeezed until no more water can be removed, ricotta cheese, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and one egg.
- Make an assembly line for preparing chicken to bake.
- On a large plate, combine panko and the remaining ½ cup Parmesan cheese.
- In a wide-mouthed bowl, whisk the remaining egg with 1-2 teaspoons of water.
- To make the chicken rolls, lay the chicken on a flat surface and spread each breast with the spinach-cheese mixture. Starting at the narrow end, roll each chicken breast up, jelly-roll fashion.
- To finish, dip each stuffed chicken breast into whisked egg, then into the panko mixture. Place seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Spray the chicken rolls lightly with nonstick olive oil spray.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the stuffed chicken breasts from the oven and top with marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese is golden.
- If you like your cheese topping nice and brown, place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with new photos and more information to make this recipe easier to make. It was first published on January 1, 2015.
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