Here is my new pan-fried spinach and cream cheese stuffed chicken breasts recipe. It’s a delicious dinner recipe that makes a fantastic impression.
You can also use low-fat cream cheese and Parmesan and have a healthy dinner full of protein and veggies. You can also try my Lemon Garlic Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts.
Delicious Pan Fried Spinach & Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I love a good stuffed chicken breast recipe like the next person. The problem usually is that you have to wrap bacon around them to get the filling to stay in ( I know, that’s not a problem, Karlynn; that’s an innovative, salty, delicious solution!), and then the filling inevitably leaks out of the chicken. For that reason, I have very few stuffed chicken breast recipes on this website.
This pan-fried spinach and cream cheese stuffed chicken breast, however, solves that problem. First, just like the name says, you pan fry the chicken. Then, you add the filling, cover the chicken, and heat it through.
Simple, yes? And no bacon in sight!
Tips & Tricks for Pan Fried Chicken Breasts
- Pan-fried chicken is best cooked on medium heat. You don’t want to cook it fast on the outside and then have it raw on the inside.
- You don’t need to cook the spinach cream cheese filling; you simply have to heat it up. That’s the brilliance of pan-frying the butterflied chicken breasts instead of baking them in the oven wrapped in bacon. The filling doesn’t leak out ( as long as you are careful), and you can heat it up slowly and surely.
- You could also wrap this in bacon after the chicken is cooked and add the cream cheese. It really doesn’t need it, and sometimes bacon is overdone in low-carb and keto recipes.
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Pan Fried Spinach Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup cream cheese at room temp
- 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons minced chives or green onions
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place plastic wrap on top of each chicken breast and using a meat mallet, pound them slightly thinner. ( they will fry up faster if you do this step.)
- To butterfly your chicken breasts, lay them flat on sturdy surface. Place one hand on top to hold it in place and then slice 3/4 of the way through the chicken breast. Do not slice all the way through!
- Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet.
- Fry the chicken breast in the frying pan on medium heat, approximately 7 minutes a side, until they start to get golden brown and crispy on the outside and reach a temperature of 165°F. You want the mto be cooked before you stuff them!
- Combine the spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, chives and garlic in a bowl and microwave to take the chill off. Make sure it’s nice and warm. ( this is such an easy cheat! I was so excited!)
- Carefully spoon a quarter of cheese mixture into the middle of the cooked chicken breasts.
- Turn the heat to low and put a lid on the frying pan. Heat for another 5-7 minutes, until the cream cheese mixture has heated through.
- Remove and plate. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Angela says
Can goat cheese be substituted for the cream cheese? My husband can’t have cream cheese.
Linda says
Oh my!
This was so, so good. I didn’t alter anything. My breasts were so large however, I cut them in half. Thanks So Much!
JoAnne says
Do you open the chicken to pan fry it, or just fry both sides without opening?
Kimberly says
Grated or shredded cheese?
Cat says
I have the same question as JoAnne… open up the breast or leave it folded to fry?
goody says
Hi, Can you make a few recipes for those of us who are vegan? Thanks for posting 🙂
Lisa Kneisley says
I was looking for a yummy easy to do recipe…(something different )
this popped out at me because I had all the ingredients.”My whole family loved it”
“Delicious”
Jamie Lentz says
I loved the simplicity of this dish! I only modified it a little. I added mozzarella cheese and crumbled bacon to the stuffing ….because we can never have enough cheese! It was absolutely my favorite chicken dish!
Gena watt says
That made all the difference in the world?
June Holmstrom says
I used fresh spinach and it turned out great! Thanks!
Tam says
Yummy😁👍👍
Janet says
Great! I was just reading comments to see if I could use fresh spinach! Thanks! Wish me luck! Looks and sounds yummy!
Britny Coker-Moen says
Using plastic wrap to tenderize the chicken is wasteful and unnecessary.
Karlynn says
No; covering the chicken keeps small bits of raw chicken from contaminating the counter, your clothes, the floor and everywhere else you are sending those salmonella bombs. I prefer to keep my kitchen and family safe from food borne illness; thanks.
Sheila says
It was good,, Thank you
Karlynn Johnston says
You are very welcome!
Gena watt says
I brined my chicken for 4 hours, and added chopped garlic in the olive oil. I was worried about my filling, so I just added a piece of bacon around the filling only, so after it was done I let it cool for a second and removed the bacon?and it held up beautifully ? everyone loved it? grandkids included?thank you so much ?
Bobbie Thompson says
Hi Karlynn
Just wondering if it would be ok to use frozen spinach in this recipe?
Thanks Bobbie
Chris G says
It calls for frozen spinach. Lol
Carrie says
Hey Karlynn, great recipe. My doctor just just put me on a very low carb diet. I found a little red pepper when pan searing the chicken helps to give it a kick. Thanks so much for the great ideas.
Blessings
Karlynn Johnston says
Love the idea of the red pepper!
Virginia Norlund Andre says
Me, toooooo! I’m trying it this weekend
( for my birthday weekend) . Hubby taking me out on Sunday… so we’ll play with this recipe on Saturday! Thnx! ?
Pam says
I was disappointed in this recipe. There seemed to be too much spinach in the filling, and I had a difficult time getting the chicken breasts to fold over the filling. I cooked the chicken to 165 degrees prior to adding the stuffing, and it ended up dried out. I will use less spinach and more cream cheese next time.
Cozette Jones says
Try Brimmig or marinate the chicken. This will definitely kick in the flavor .
Lin says
Turned out yummy and fits well into my low carb lifestyle. Thanks!
Lonna Udan says
This recipe was so easy and so yummy! I made it for my family and it was a hit. So now I’m making it for a dinner party! Thank you
Marybeth says
You mention chives in the directions, but they’re not listed in the ingredients. How much did you use?
Karlynn Johnston says
Recipe is all fixed! Thanks for letting me know!
Melinda says
Fantastic recipe!
Karlynn Johnston says
Awesome, thanks for letting me know!
Mindy says
New family favorite! Its so good. I use a little less spinach but turns out awesome.
Karlynn Johnston says
So glad you liked it!