This delicious chicken stuffed with broccoli is extra easy to make. It’s filled with warm cheesy filling, it looks festive and perfect for any day of the week or even for a special celebration.
Broccoli-I used frozen broccoli florets, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese– For best flavor use freshly shredded cheddar cheese
Goat cheese-Feel free to substitute with cream cheese if not available
Spices of your choice. I used chili powder and black pepper.
How to Make Stuffed Chicken with broccoli
Step 1. Gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. Soak frozen broccoli in a cup of hot water. Make the “filling”- shred the cheddar cheese if not grated. Drain and cut broccoli into small pieces. Place chopped broccoli into a small bowl, combine with shredded cheese and goat cheese, add some salt.
Step 2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Lay chicken breasts horizontally on the cutting board and use a sharp knife slice to make a “pocket” in each breast by cutting the thickest side but not completely through. Add cheesy broccoli stuffing inside the chicken breast, divide evenly, pack tightly.
Step 3. Season stuffed chicken with salt and pepper, add some chili powder, rub really well all over the chicken.
Step 4. Heat oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil so that bottom of the skillet is well coated. Add chicken breasts and sear in the skillet for 1-2 minutes per side till browned. The goal here is to create browned coating but not to cook the chicken through. Once chicken breasts are browned, place the skillet in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. The temperature inside the chicken breast should measure at 165 F degrees.
Recipe Tips
The serving size is half of the large chicken breast.
Chicken breasts. Choose a large size, this will help to keep all the filling in.
Cheddar Cheese. Choosing two kinds of cheeses, one of which is soft will help to create a gooey filling and enhance the flavor. Choose freshly grated cheese, it will melt perfectly.
Broccoli, use fresh or frozen. I use frozen and either let them sit on the counter to defrost for 20 minutes or soak in the hot water for 5 minutes. Make sure to chop them small.
Smoked paprika truly adds to the color and flavor palette.
When adding the cheese mixture stuffing, ensure to tightly fill it so broccoli mixture stays in while cooking chicken breast in the pan.
For best flavor and for chicken meat to stay moist, don’t overcook the chicken. Use a meat thermometer or digital food thermometer, the internal temperature should measure at 165F.
Preheat the skillet before adding oil and stuffed chicken breast, this will prevent overcooked chicken breast and help to create a brown coating.
Don’t add too much olive oil to the skillet to avoid smoke inside the oven, you will need only a little.
Use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet and ensure it’s large enough to fit all three large chicken breasts.
When cooking in the skillet, turn the broccoli cheese stuffed chicken after 1-2 minutes to ensure the chicken had enough time to brown.
Variations
When making a stuffed chicken breast recipe you can skip browning chicken in the skillet and bake it directly in the oven. You might need to use an oven-safe dish instead and increase the cooking time.
The filling can be adjusted and flavored with many different ingredients:
minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, onion powder
cream cheese instead of goat cheese
added chopped sun dried tomatoes
different cheese varieties, mozzarella cheese or harvati
Prep and make the filling. Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. Soak frozen broccoli in a cup of hot water. Make the “filling”- shred the cheese if not grated. Drain and cut broccoli into small pieces. Combine with goat cheese, add some salt.
Stuff the chicken. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Lay chicken breast and use sharp knife slice horizontally to make a “pocket” in each breast by cutting the thickest side but not completely through. Add cheesy stuffing inside the chicken breast, divide evenly, pack tightly. Season chicken with salt and chili powder, rub really well all over the chicken.
Cook the chicken. Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of olive oil so that bottom of the skillet is well coated. Add chicken breasts and sear in the skillet for 1-2 minutes per side till browned. The goal here ios to create browned coating but not to cook chicken trough. Once chicken breasts are browned, place skillet in the oven on the middle rack and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes. The temperature inside the chicken breast should measure at 165 F degrees.
Notes
The serving size is the half of the large chicken breast.Chicken breasts. Choose a large size, this will help to keep all the filling in.Cheddar Cheese. Choosing two kinds of cheeses, one of which is soft will help to create a gooey filling and enhance the flavor. Choose freshly grated cheese, it will melt perfectly.Broccoli, use fresh or frozen. I use frozen and either let them sit on the counter to defrost for 20 minutes or soak in the hot water for 5 minutes. Make sure to chop them small.Smoked paprika truly adds to the color and flavor palette.When adding the stuffing, ensure to tightly fill it so it stays in while cooking chicken breast in the pan.For best flavor and for chicken meat to stay moist, don’t overcook the chicken. The internal temperature should measure at 165F.Preheat the skillet before adding oil and stuffed chicken breast, this will prevent overcooked chicken breast and help to create a brown coating.Don’t add too much oil to the skillet to avoid smoke inside the oven, you will need only a little.Use well seasoned cast iron skillet and ensure its large enough to fit all three large chicken breasts.When cooking in the skillet, turn the chicken after 1-2 minutes to ensure chicken had enough time to brown.
Natalia is a recipe developer, food photographer, and home cook. She started Flavorful Home to document her recipes and share home cooking tips. She loves creating flavorful and nutritious meals while keeping the cooking process simple and joyful!
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Hi there, I’m Natalia. I’m so glad you stopped by! Here you’ll find the most useful cooking tips and answers to food questions. I focus on creating simple recipes and making sure they are extra flavorful and worthy of your time! Browse our step-by-step recipes and explore new flavors!
