Spinach and Emmental Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Let’s be honest…. plain chicken breasts can be pretty one-dimensional and, dare I say it, a little boring. But here’s where the magic happens… MAGICCCCC! Stuffing those breasts gives you that one-two punch, makes the chicken have a different look and gives you way more to work with in terms of flavour pairings, and yes this version is pretty simple, but see it like a weeknight friendly version of a fancy chicken cordon bleu ;D

But that punch keeps on kicking, ok that didn’t make sense, but a good thing about stuffing the chicken breast, one of the driest parts of the chicken is… well if you stuff it with moist things it will make the chicken moist and tender, so you can have a crispy skin on the outside and a tender inside with very little effort and skill, it looks fancy but it really isn’t, its just smart!

And yeah, this recipe is perfect for those nights when you want to elevate your dinner game without spending hours in the kitchen. The spinach and Emmental cheese filling is creamy, savoury, and just melts in your mouth. Your family will think you’ve been taking secret cooking classes with ME! 😀 Hehehehe lets check the recipe!

Spinach and Emmental Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Servings: 4
Time: 1hr
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Ohhh yeah, turn those boring chicken breasts into a restaurant worthy meal that'll have everyone asking for seconds!

Ingredients

Chicken – 6 Breasts
Spinach – 1 Bag (200g)
Emmental Cheese – 200g
Garlic Powder – A Pinch
Red Pepper Paste – 1 Tablespoon
Lemon – 2
Pepper – A Pinch
Onion – 1
Olive Oil – A Drizzle

Directions

Place the chicken breasts in a bowl with a lemon cut into quarters, followed by a tablespoon of red pepper paste, mix and set aside.

Now start sautéing the spinach in a frying pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt and garlic powder, cook until the spinach wilts (about 2 or 3 minutes), then remove from the pan and set aside as well.

Now open the breasts lengthwise as shown in the image, add a little spinach and a generous amount of Emmental cheese, close the chicken breast and seal it with toothpicks to keep it closed, repeat until all the breasts are stuffed (remember how many toothpicks per breast, use a exact number, please).
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F) and prepare a baking tray with sliced onions and lemon quarters on the bottom.

Now heat the frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and add the breasts to brown the outside, browning both sides.
Finally, remove and place on the baking tray you have prepared, sprinkle a little pepper on top and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the breasts are cooked and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and it’s ready to serve. Bon appétit!

Notes & Tips: Red Pepper Paste (massa de pimentão in Portuguese) is a traditional Portuguese seasoning paste made with raw red peppers and salt, you can make it yourself or just buy already made. A lot of the flavour of several Portuguese stews comes from using this Portuguese red pepper paste or a Portuguese garlic paste.

I know a good rule of thumb is 1 breast per person but i said this is a recipe for 4, but these weren’t bit breasts, more like small chicken, so it was more a 4 person meal, but if you have large breasts of course keep it to 1 per person.

While Emmental is fantastic, feel free to experiment with other cheeses! Gruyère, Swiss, or even sharp cheddar work beautifully. Just avoid super-soft cheeses like mozzarella on their own, they’ll melt out of the chicken before it’s done cooking. If you love mozzarella, try mixing it with a firmer cheese for the best of both worlds.

A good reminder, the toothpicks are your best friends here! But make sure to count how many you use per breast so you can remove them all before serving. Nobody wants a surprise toothpick in their dinner! You can also use kitchen twine to wrap these as well.

This goes really well with a nice chicken gravy, you can use store bought gravy mix (just follow the package directions, usually mix the powder with water and heat until thickened) or make your own using the pan drippings (or just chicken stock) from the baking dish. Just strain the drippings, add a bit of flour or cornstarch to thicken, taste and correct seasonings, and you’ve got yourself restaurant, quality gravy.

Once you’ve mastered this basic technique, the sky’s the limit! Try sun dried tomatoes and feta, mushrooms and Swiss cheese, ohhhh noooo bacon and cheddar ;D Just make sure your fillings have some body to them so they stay put during cooking.

You can stuff the chicken breasts up to 24 hours in advance! Just keep them covered and refrigerated, then bring them to room temperature for 15 minutes before searing and baking.

This pairs wonderfully with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, or a simple green salad. The onions and lemons from the baking dish become deliciously caramelized and make a fantastic side on their own!

This recipe for Spinach and Emmental Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Frango Recheado de Espinafres e Queijo foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.