Description
A delicious and elegant Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe featuring tender chicken breasts filled with sautéed mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and baby spinach, topped with melted mozzarella cheese. This dish is seared to a golden crisp on the stovetop then baked to perfection in the oven, delivering juicy and flavorful results perfect for a comforting dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken & Seasoning
- 2 x 220g / 7oz skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
Filling
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 200g / 7 oz mushrooms, sliced 3mm (1/8″) thick (~2 heaped cups)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp thyme leaves
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 80g / 3oz mozzarella, sliced (or other melting cheese)
Cooking
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F (180°F fan) to prepare for baking the stuffed chicken.
- Create Chicken Pockets: Carefully cut pockets into the side of each chicken breast without cutting all the way through, keeping the smooth side intact for stuffing.
- Season Chicken: Season both the inside of the pocket and the outer surface of the chicken breasts with half of the salt and pepper.
- Cook Mushrooms: Melt the butter in a heavy-based ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes until they start to turn golden, then add minced garlic, thyme, remaining salt, and pepper, cooking for another 2 minutes until the mushrooms are nicely golden.
- Add Spinach: Stir in the baby spinach and cook until just wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Stuff Chicken: Spoon the mushroom and spinach mixture into each chicken pocket, then top with slices of mozzarella cheese.
- Seal Chicken: Use toothpicks to mostly seal the chicken pockets, allowing the filling to stay inside while baking but not requiring a perfect seal.
- Sear Chicken: Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels, then heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear each side of the stuffed chicken breasts for 1.5 minutes until golden brown.
- Bake Chicken: Transfer the skillet with seared chicken breasts to the preheated oven, baking for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 65°C (149°F) measured in the chicken flesh.
- Rest and Serve: Remove the skillet from the oven, transfer the chicken to a plate, loosely cover with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Note 1: Use skinless boneless chicken breasts for easy stuffing and even cooking.
- Note 2: Fresh thyme leaves give a fragrant herbal flavor, but dried thyme can be used as a substitute with adjusted quantity.
- Note 3: Baby spinach wilts quickly and adds a fresh, mild green flavor to the stuffing.
- Use an ovenproof skillet to allow seamless transfer from stovetop to oven without extra dishes.
- To ensure the cheese melts nicely and the filling remains moist, do not overcook the chicken; monitoring internal temperature is key.
