Stuffed Chicken Breasts are my favorite way to serve chicken, because you get so much flavor in every bite. With goat cheese, basil, and white wine mushroom sauce, this dish sounds fancy, but it’s actually very easy to make!
Healthy Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Crispy Gluten-Free Breading!
Do you like crispy chicken? Me too. What about buttery, sauteed mushrooms? Me too! This recipe is the perfect combination of crisp, breaded chicken, tender sauteed mushrooms, and smooth, savory sauce – it’s basically the best meal ever. An irresistibly creamy goat cheese filling makes it even more mouthwatering, and guess what? Even with all of these “fancy” elements, this is still an easy recipe that even an inexperienced cook can make.
Stuffed chicken breasts have a very restaurant-worthy, gourmet feel to them, so I like to make them for occasions like birthdays or date nights. They also make a feel-good, elevated meal for a Sunday evening, when you have a little time to make something more special than usual. Let’s get into the recipe!
Ingredients
This fresh, flavorful recipe is full of my favorite things! I’m sure you’re going to love this combination of tangy goat cheese, juicy chicken, savory green onions, and crunchy breading. Here’s what you’ll need to make it.
For the Stuffed Chicken
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Goat Cheese: Fresh goat cheese – plain, not flavored.
- Green Onions: Thinly slice the green onions.
- Basil: Shred or chop a few fresh basil leaves.
- Salt and Pepper
- Eggs: A couple of large, whole eggs bind the filling mixture together.
- Breadcrumbs: To keep things gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free Italian-style breadcrumbs.
- Butter: Unsalted butter, sliced into pats.
For the Mushroom Sauce
- Butter: Divide the unsalted butter in half. You will use half for cooking the mushrooms, and whisk the other half into the cooked sauce to make it velvety.
- Mushrooms: Any sliced mushrooms will work. I like to use baby portobello mushrooms – they are easy to find in most grocery stores.
- Wine: White wine. You don’t have to use anything expensive, but avoid “cooking wines.” They are usually salted or treated with other preservatives, and won’t have a very good flavor. If you don’t want to use wine, you can use chicken broth, or water mixed with apple cider vinegar to make a tangy, wine-like substitute.
- Chicken Broth: Homemade, store-bought, bone broth, etc.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Making stuffed chicken breasts is surprisingly easy to do. Even if you have never made a dinner like this before, you can definitely pull it off! Here are the steps.
- Get Ready to Bake. To get started, you will need to preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut some kitchen twine into long strips for tying up the stuffed chicken once it’s ready. Then stir up the filling by mixing the cheese, onion, and basil with half a cup of the bread crumbs and one of the eggs. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and set this mixture aside.
- Flatten the Chicken Breasts. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper or parchment on a cutting board and pound them to flatten them out. You want the breasts to be about ¼ inch thick. This doesn’t have to be precise – you just want an even, consistent thickness. I use a meat mallet, but if you don’t have one, a frying pan or saucepan will work.
- Stuff the Chicken. Place a large spoonful of filling on each breast, in a line towards the top. Roll them up and secure with kitchen twine. If you don’t have twine, you can use toothpicks.
- Bread the Chicken. Beat the second egg, and pour it on a small rimmed plate. Place the remaining bread crumbs on another rimmed plate. Set both of these plates next to your baking sheet (I like my baking sheet lined with foil or parchment for easy cleanup). Coat the stuffed chicken in egg first, and then in breadcrumbs, and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake! Top each breast with a slice of butter, and bake in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes. Once the chicken is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
- Make the Sauce. When the chicken is almost ready, start making the sauce. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a saute pan over medium heat, and cook the mushrooms in the butter for about 7 minutes. Then add the wine, cook for 2 – 3 minutes, and pour in the stock. Simmer this mixture until it reduces by half (another 7 minutes or so), and take it off the heat. Finally, whisk in the rest of the butter a tablespoon at a time to make a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Serve. To serve, use a sharp knife or clean kitchen shears to cut the string from each chicken breast. Slice to reveal the filling, and serve with mushroom sauce.
What’s the Best Way to Stuff Chicken Breast?
My favorite way to stuff a chicken breast is the technique you see here. I find that pounding the chicken thin creates an evenly-cooked, juicy result. However, you can also choose to stuff your chicken breast using one of these methods:
- Hasselback: Make hasselback chicken by cutting thin slices across the top of the chicken, starting from the pointed end of the breast and working your way up to the rounded end. Don’t cut all the way through to the cutting board – you want the breast to stay together in one piece. Spoon and press filling into all of the slices you made, allowing it to overflow a little on top.
- Pocket: To make a very simple stuffed chicken breast, just make a pocket and stuff the filling inside. Cut a slit in the side of each chicken breast, and then stuff filling in the “pocket” created by cutting a slit. Next, close the chicken breast back up with kitchen twine, toothpicks, or skewers.
Is It Better to Bake Chicken Covered or Uncovered?
So should you bake chicken uncovered, or cover it with foil? That depends on what you’re trying to do. For a dish where the chicken is cooked low and slow in liquid, you should definitely cover the pot or baking dish. But for this recipe, we’re aiming for a crispy coating. That calls for baking the chicken uncovered.
Tips for Success
Need some recipe tips? I’ve got you covered! These helpful hints will tell you all you need to know about making this gorgeous main course.
- Goat Cheese: You can play around with the cheese to make slightly different versions of this recipe. Cream cheese, mozzarella, feta crumbles, and even a little blue cheese can all make good additions and/or substitutions. If you do use a strongly flavored cheese like blue cheese, make sure to combine it with a milder cheese like cream cheese.
- Vegetables: Many stuffed chicken recipes call for spinach or other veggies, and you can definitely add those here if you like. I keep mine simple with green onions, but finely chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, or asparagus would also be great.
- Mushroom Sauce: The buttery mushroom and wine sauce is a mouthwatering part of this recipe, but you could also serve this with red sauce, hollandaise, or any other sauce that you love.
- Butter: If you would like to cut down on the butter used in this recipe, just leave out the pat of butter on each chicken breast, and use two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in the pan when you saute your mushrooms.
Yummy Sides
Stuffed chicken breasts are great with any side dish! This is a very versatile dish that works with many flavor profiles. Make your tried-and-true favorites, or try one of these easy recipes:
- Brussels Sprouts: These are easy to make, and you can do so many different flavor combinations with them! One that I’ve been loving lately is this recipe for Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. It’s a smoky, savory side dish that goes with everything.
- Succotash: Spicy Corn Succotash is a creamy, satisfying dish made with fresh corn, coconut milk, a little bit of bacon, shallots, and garlic.
- Salad: Feed your body right with some fresh, raw veggies! Any salad is great with stuffed chicken breasts, but this Tomato Cucumber Salad is especially colorful and tasty.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Any leftover chicken and sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 3 – 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until the chicken and filling are fully heated through.
Can I Make This in Advance?
Absolutely! You can assemble the stuffed chicken breasts just as the recipe says, but instead of baking them, place them in a greased baking dish and cover them tightly with plastic wrap, followed by foil (I recommend wrapping your entire dish in foil, not just the top). Defrost overnight in your refrigerator before unwrapping and baking. You may have to increase the baking time slightly. While the chicken bakes, make the sauce, and dinner is done!
Best Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz fresh goat cheese
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 3-4 basil leaves shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs gluten free
- 2 tablespoons unsalted melted butter sliced
SAUCE:
- 1 stick of unsalted butter divided in half
- 12 ounces baby portabello mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine the goat cheese, green onion, basil, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, one whisked egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir to mix. Set aside.
- Cut kitchen twine into 6 strips long enough to tie around the chicken breasts.
- Pound chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper placed on a cutting board. You want the breasts to be about 1/4" thick. This doesn't have to be precise, you just want an even, consistent thickness when done. (I use a meat mallet or if you don't have one try a frying pan to pound your breasts.)
- Place a large spoonful of filling across the pounded chicken, close to the top. Roll the chicken up and secure with twine. (If you don't have kitchen twine, use toothpicks to secure.)
- Beat the second egg and place on rimmed plate. Pour remaining bread crumbs on another rimmed plate. Place both plates next to a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Place stuffed chicken breasts one at a time in egg to coat. Next, roll in crumbs to coat. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts and place on baking sheet.
- Top each breast with a slice of butter.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to touch, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile melt 1/2 stick of butter in sauté pan over medium heat and add mushrooms, cook stirring occasionally about 6 – 7 minutes.
- Add wine and stir. Allow to cook for 3 minutes, and then add broth.
- Allow liquid to reduce by half. This should take another 6-7 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and add remaining butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring each tablespoon until combined.
- Cut twine and remove from chicken. Slice and serve topped with mushrooms.
Notes
- Goat Cheese: You can play around with the cheese to make slightly different versions of this recipe. Cream cheese, mozzarella, feta crumbles, and even a little blue cheese can all make good additions and/or substitutions. If you do use a strongly flavored cheese like blue cheese, make sure to combine it with a milder cheese like cream cheese.
- Vegetables: Many stuffed chicken recipes call for spinach or other veggies, and you can definitely add those here if you like. I keep mine simple with green onions, but finely chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, or asparagus would also be great.
- Mushroom Sauce: The buttery mushroom and wine sauce is a mouthwatering part of this recipe, but you could also serve this with red sauce, hollandaise, or any other sauce that you love.
- Butter: If you would like to cut down on the butter used in this recipe, just leave out the pat of butter on each chicken breast, and use two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in the pan when you saute your mushrooms.
I’ve been looking forward to making this for dinner all day!!
This looks wonderful!
Thank ya!
Looks delicious! Will be attempting this tonight!
Hope you liked! It really is a favorite in this house! 🙂