This spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe combines three cheeses, walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach to give you big Mediterranean flavor in just 20 minutes!
Chicken Breast Recipe Bursting with Mediterranean Flavors
Chicken breast gets a bad rap for being boring, but I like to think of it as a blank canvas for some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors. They just need a delicious filling to wow even the most skeptical diner. When it comes to flavor, those of us with Mediterranean heritage know a thing or two about combining bold flavors for maximum impact!
With bright sun-dried tomatoes, creamy ricotta cheese, and aromatic oregano, they this chicken breast recipe has Italian-style comfort but it isn’t overly heavy. And, because stuffed chicken breast cooks quickly in one skillet, this easy dinner recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
It also feels like a special night in without the fuss. As Lisa said in the comments: “This was delicious! My daughter said, “Mom, this is restaurant good!” I would have to agree! It was easy too!” Best compliment ever!
Ingredients and Substitutions
I wanted this spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe to be very much a “grab on the way home from work” situation. You’ll likely have most of what you need:
- Chicken breasts: You can also use chicken thighs and adjust the cooking time. Or you can even make spinach stuffed salmon.
- Frozen spinach: Already wilted and shrunk, it’s the secret to adding plenty of this superfood with almost no effort.
- Swapping fresh for frozen spinach: Start with about 1 pound of fresh spinach. Sauté or blanch it until it’s wilted (it will shrink quite a lot), then allow it to cool before pressing or squeezing out the excess moisture.
- Walnuts: Substitute with another very tender nut, like pine nuts or almonds.
- Sun dried tomatoes: I prefer the rich flavor of unsulfered sun dried tomatoes. Swap with green olives or chopped preserved lemons.
- Parsley: Substitute with dill, basil, or mint.
- Garlic: Swap with green onion, shallot, or yellow onion.
- Cheese: A 3-cheese mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan is rich and flavorful without being heavy.
- Oregano: Look for Greek oregano, which is earthy and peppery, rather than Mexican oregano, which is anise-like. Substitute with dried thyme, rosemary, or Italian seasoning.
- Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil holds the filling together and adds richness. I love our buttery Italian Nocellara with this recipe.
- Chicken breasts are lean and thick, making them perfect for stuffing.
How to Make Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Using frozen spinach is the key to getting spinach stuffed chicken breasts on your table in under 30 minutes. Here are the steps:
- Drain the spinach. Place 5 ounces of thawed frozen spinach into a clean (but not precious) kitchen towel and twist to remove the excess water.
- Make the stuffing. Add the spinach to a medium mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 6 chopped sun dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil, and mix until well combined.
- Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Now, you need to make a pocket in each chicken breast. Lay a chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Place a hand firmly on top of the breast. Insert a good chef’s knife in the thickest part of the breast and slice to make a pocket about 3- to 4-inches wide (only cut 3/4 of the way in or you will split the chicken breast).
- Stuff the chicken breasts. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the pocket of each chicken breast (try to equally divide the stuffing among all four pieces).
- Sear the chicken. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken in and cook on one side for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes or so (chicken’s internal temperature should register 165°F).
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat and allow the chicken 3 to 5 minutes to rest. If you like, slice the chicken into smaller pieces. Garnish with the remaining walnuts, a bit of parsley, and sun dried tomatoes. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
Because chicken breasts are a lean meat, I like to turn them into a satisfying yet healthy meal with:
- A hearty salad: Italian potato salad or Mediterranean orzo salad would be lovely.
- A vegetable salad: Fattoush or Greek Salad
- Grain or starch: Basmati Rice or Quinoa Salad
- For dessert: I like a little pop of citrus to balance the richness of the cheesy filling. Lemon tart or lemon sorbet both come to mind, but if lemon isn’t your thing, try Greek Yogurt Cheesecake.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
Ingredients
- 5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
- 3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped (divided)
- 6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Drain the spinach. Place the spinach into a clean (but not precious) kitchen towel and twist to remove the excess water.
- Make the stuffing. Add the spinach to a medium mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (save 1/4 cup walnuts for later). Add the sun dried tomatoes, parsley, garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Season with the oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and mix until well combined.
- Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Now, you need to make a pocket in each chicken breast. Lay a chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Place a hand firmly on top of the breast. Insert a good chef’s knife in the thickest part of the breast and slice to make a pocket about 3- to 4-inches wide (only cut 3/4 of the way in or you will split the chicken breast).
- Stuff the chicken breasts. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the pocket of each chicken breast (try to equally divide the stuffing among all four pieces).
- Sear the chicken. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken in and cook on one side for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side for another 5 minutes or so (chicken’s internal temperature should register 165°F).
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat and allow the chicken 3 to 5 minutes to rest. If you like, slice the chicken into smaller pieces. Garnish with the remaining walnuts, a bit of parsley and sun dried tomatoes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and oregano used in this recipe.
- To thaw spinach: Leave it in the fridge overnight, microwave it for a minute or two, or run it under warm water in a strainer.
- Baked option: You can bake this chicken in a lightly oiled baking dish at 350 degrees F heated for about 16 to 18 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F.
Nutrition
This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It’s best to use thick chicken breast. Press you non-dominate hand on the top of the chicken breast and with the knife in your other hand, slowly make a horizontal in the center of the chicken breast without cutting all the way through the back. Widen the cut from one side to the other until you have a wide, pocket.
Some filling will likely fall out, but you can reduce the likelihood of that by following a couple of guidelines. First, don’t overstuff the pocket. Second, let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing. This gives the filling a chance to cool slightly and become less runny.
Yes, you can prepare the chicken and make the filling up to 1 day in advance, keeping them in separate containers. Then the day you want to serve them stuff and cook.
Yes—chicken breast is considered a lean protein, and the spinach-feta-walnut filling adds iron, calcium, and healthy fats. My recipe doesn’t have breading or heavy cream.
Could you use roasted tomatoes instead of sundried tomatoes? I am trying to use up the last of my tomatoes.
Sure!
This looked so delicious, I decided to try it. I was easy to make. Recipe is easy to follow. I substituted pine nuts for walnuts. And it worked great. I toasted them for 5 minutes in the oven first. The stuffing was great and I am thinking of other recipes I could use it in, like stuffed shells and stuff eggplant. Thanks so much. Your recipes never disappoint. I come back to them time and time again.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Michele!
I love chicken! This looks absolutely delicious I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Maria!
I;m ashamed to say I have never stuffed chicken breasts nor tried them but your recipe was so indepth and well presented that I’m convinced to try it.
I agree with you – walnuts are mostly used in baking but they are delicious in savory dishes. Love your recipe!
Chicken breast is one of my favorite part of chicken, and am always on the lookout for new recipes. This looks so so tasty and flavorful! I hope to give it a try.
I hope you do! You’ll love it!!!
I really love the stuffing and how you’ve served it.
Thanks, Jacqueline!
Very tasty filling! But a huge splattery mess to clean up after sauteeing, even with a splatter screen. And a very crusty and hard to clean cast iron pan. Has anyone tried baking the dish instead? I’m wondering how best to do that without drying them out.
I’m sorry about the mess, Ellen! I’m sure there is a way to bake them, but I have not tried that with this particular recipe yet, so it’s hard for be to advise. So glad you enjoyed them, though!
This looks amazing! The flavors are perfect and I love sun dried tomatoes. Thanks for this recipe!
I hope you give it a try, Chenee!
I don’t care for ricotta, so what would you suggest?
Thank you.
For this recipe, I would just omit the ricotta, and maybe add some more mozzarella.
Can you sub roasted red peppers for the sundried? Hubs is not a big fan!
Sure! The flavor profile will be a bit different, but still tasty!!
This is a fantastic recipe…I had to omit the walnuts because of allergies in my family…but still delicious, like all your recipes
Awww! Thank you, Sadia!
This looks delicious. And it is KETO friendly. I can’t wait to try it 🙂
Enjoy!!!
I prefer not to fry foods as much as possible. At what temp and for how long would you cook these chicken breasts in the oven? I’m thinking maybe 350* for about 30 – 35 minutes?
Pan-seared in extra virgin olive oil is a better choice for this recipe, but you can try baking at 350 degrees F, and the best way to know if it’s done is to use a meat thermometer (internal temperature should register at 165 degrees F).
The recipes are always great, but they NEVER include the oven temp.
Hi, Tom. This particular recipe is cooked on a stovetop, not the oven.
Now this filling for these chicken breast is loaded with everything I love! And I hav to agree with Steven, the walnuts are a special touch. We love walnuts around here, but I gotta start using them more in savory items too!
Totally, Amanda! We use walnuts here in savory cooking all the time. They add flavor and nutrition!
I just happened to pop on your site looking for a chicken breast recipe and this one is the winner! I love the addition of walnuts here, and thank you so much for sharing all this good information!!!
Awesome, Steven! Thanks for sharing