This post has been sponsored by College Inn®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Making a stuffed chicken breast for dinner is something I have been doing since I started to cook independently as a teenager. One of the first recipes I ever made was Chicken Cordon Blue, which I saw in my first real cookbook (and it looked good), after that I was smitten with stuffing chicken. This recipe for Spinach Roasted Red Pepper & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts is just one of the half dozen ways I try to make stuffed chicken breasts for dinner for my family interesting.
Making Spinach Roasted Peppers & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts is made easy by using College Inn® Simple Starter Savory Chicken Sauce. I picked up both the new College Inn® Simple Starter Savory Chicken Sauce at my local ACME, in the same aisle where I find soups and broths.
College Inn® has always been my go-to for broths and stocks, and now they have ready-to-go, perfectly seasoned sauces made with their stock, herbs, and vegetables. What great time savers! Plus, the sauces are 100% natural—the savory chicken sauce used in this recipe has 0 grams of sugar and is just 15 calories a serving. Winning!
Stuffing this chicken breast can be done 2 ways, you can pound it out and roll it up with the filling, using kitchen twine to tie it, or you can slice a “pocket” in each breast and stuff it that way. I have done this both ways depending on my mood.
One of the things I like best about stuffing a chicken breast with vegetables and cheese is that I already feel its a complete meal so typically, I then only serve rice or a side salad along with it. I keep it simple and whether I make some sort of pan sauce or like I did here, use a prepared sauce, for a one-pot quick and easy meal adding a side like rice or potatoes is perfect since they both taste delicious mingling with the sauces.
ACME is my neighborhood grocery store (it also was where I grew up), I love using their mobile app to see what extra coupons, deals, and rewards I can earn. I especially love their gas rewards program where I get $1.00 off of each gallon of gas at the pump! I also sometimes use some of my points for $5 or $7 off my food bill. Love that!
I am in my ACME SO often that, I kid you not, I know many of the workers by name. I even help people (usually elderly people) find what they are looking for or reach for every trip. Once I noticed a confused or pained look on their faces I can’t help but say, “what are you looking for?” or “let me get that.” As a bonus, I often find out what they are making or get a nice smile while shopping for this recipe.
It was a 90-ish-year-old man’s birthday, and he was looking for coconut oil. I asked what he was making, however, his accent was rather heavy and I just couldn’t get what it was, but I played along and then gave him a big ol’ birthday hug, lol! He was adorable!
**Click here for a coupon for to try out College Inn® Simple Starter Savory Chicken Sauce for yourself.**
I think you will enjoy trying out these sauces! Save time, build flavor, make less of a mess AND when you have leftovers and wish you had extra pan sauce/sauce, just reach for a box and Delicious is in the Details. In addition to the College Inn® Simple Starter Chicken Sauce, they also have both Hearty Beef and a Mexican-Style Simple Starter sauces.
How Do I Stuff A Chicken Breast?
You can choose to stuff a boneless chicken breast by wither cutting a “pocket or pouch” into the breast or by rolling it up and tying it closed. Whichever method you choose, you want to first pound your chicken breast a bit to even it out so that it cooks correctly.
I use a rubber mallet for pounding chicken breasts. I first put one breast at a time in a plastic baggie and then pound, pound, pound. That’s it. if you are slicing a pocket into the breast, just pound the thicker end a couple of times, making the chicken even in thickness. Take a look at a photo of what I mean from one of my first blog posts way back in 2009 here.
After that, season your chicken breast with salt and pepper and then slice a pocket through the side of the breast, going down the most of the length of the breast all the way through until you are close to the edge. This creates a pocket. Fill that pocket with your stuffing mixture, pressing down gently to allow it to fully fill your opening.
If you choose to roll us your chicken with the stuffing, you want to both pound the chicken for even thickness as well as overall size. See below for the how-to.
What Filling Should I Use To Stuff Chicken Breasts?
There are so many options besides this Spinach Roasted Peppers & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Spinach, cream cheese and scallions or sundried tomatoes, spinach and Mozzarella cheese have both long been my go-to mixtures when stuffing chicken breasts.
You can also go super-simple and stuff chicken with a couple of slices of prosciutto (with or without cheese such as Provolone) or choose to add in diced apples with Brie or Cheddar. I have stuffed chicken breasts with a mixture of cream cheese and jalapenos and then wrapped them in bacon for a take on Jalapeno Poppers (another throwback recipe post circa 2012). You can also stuff chicken breasts with actual stuffing, homemade or from a box mix…Yummo!
How Do I Make A Chicken Breast Roll-Up?
To make the roll-ups you see here. First, if your chicken breasts are large and thick, slice them almost in half, to make one large thinner breast. Gently pound out your chicken breasts making them thin and even in thickness (if necessary). Next, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and then top the breast (the not smooth side)with your mixture. Cut 2-3 pieces of kitchen twine or cotton string, each about 4-5 inches long and tie up the chicken to keep it in roll form, one in the middle and one about 3/4 inch from either end.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Spinach Roasted Peppers & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Follow along on my Instagram Feed and Stores for all sorts of recipe tips, videos and more.
Spinach Roasted Peppers & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 10 oz box of frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted red pepper
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts approximately 1 3/4 pounds
- ¼ cup sliced scallions
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 cup College Inn ® Simple Starter Savory Chicken Sauce
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine spinach, cheese, roasted peppers, and scallions. Season with a little black pepper, mix together and set aside.
- If your chicken breasts are large and thick, slice them almost in half without cutting them all the way through (think of an open book…you can open and close it) to make one large thinner breast. Gently pound out your chicken breasts, making them thin and even in thickness (if necessary).
- Next, season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Then, top the rough-looking side of the breasts (not smooth side) with your mixture—smoothing it out evenly.
- Cut 2-3 pieces of kitchen twine or cotton string, each about 4-5 inches long, and tie up the chicken to keep it in roll form, one in the middle and one about 3/4 inch from either end.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a baking dish, pour in 1 cup of College Inn Simple Starter Savory Chicken Sauce.
- Heat a nonstick sauté pan or skillet over med-high and add in 1-2 TBS olive or grapeseed oil.
- Add chicken rolls and pan sear a few minutes until browned on all sides, adding in additional oil if necessary.
- Place chicken rolls into your prepared baking dish, nestling them into the sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Halfway through cooking, quickly spoon some of the sauce over the chicken to help keep it moist.
- Pro Tip: if you have food grade plastic wrap, first cover with that and then aluminum foil. This is what many chefs do when roasting meats to keep the heat and moisture in.
- When chicken is cooked through, allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then, slice into rounds and serve—spooning additional sauce over top if you like.
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