Cheesy spinach stuffed chicken breasts baked in marinara sauce are crunchy on the outside and juicy and flavorful on the inside and will make a fancy dinner with minimal work!
Spinach and cheese stuffed chicken has become a dinnertime classic. We mostly love it because of the fact that it’s low-carb and includes a load of spinach for the little ones. Making it is fairly easy once you get the hang of it, and you can always make it ahead of time and reheat as needed.
It also presents very well, so that’s a plus. I hope you enjoy this healthy low-carb meal as much as we do and impress your loved ones!
To begin, saute garlic in oil for a few seconds. Then add fresh spinach. You can also use thawed, frozen spinach instead of fresh, but you will only need a small amount since the spinach is already wilted.
Saute for just under a minute then turn off the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the chicken.
Butterfly the chicken breast and pound to even out.
Place a few teaspoons of spinach on the chicken and top with your favorite cheese. mozzarella, pepper jack, cheddar or cream cheese can be used. I used pepper-jack. Roll the chicken breasts then bread them by rolling them in eggs than in a breadcrumb mixture.
Pan fry for about 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is golden on all sides. After pan-frying place the chicken in 1 cup of marinara sauce and bake for 15 minutes. The marinara is optional and the chicken can also be baked without it.
I like to bake it in either marinara or cream sauce and sometimes I bake the chicken without any sauce. After the chicken has cooled for at least 5 minutes, cut into 4 large slices and serve on the sauce or with your favorite salad.
Breaded Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach and Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt, pepper to taste
- 8 oz mozzarella or pepper-jack cheese
Breading
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs, optional
- 1/4 cup oil, vegetable or canola for frying
- 1 cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 20 seconds or until it begins to brown on the edges. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute until the spinach wilts (You can also use thawed, frozen spinach instead of fresh, but you will only need a small amount, since the spinach is already wilted). Set aside to cool.</span>
- While the spinach is cooling, butterfly and pound the chicken breasts even. Top with 2-3 teaspoons of spinach and 2 slices of mozzarella or pepperjack cheese. Roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Prep the breading station. Crack 2 eggs in a large plate. Combine panko and italian breadcrumbs in another plate. Dredge the chicken in the egg wash and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Heat up 1/4 cup oil in a 8 or 10 inch skillet on medium high heat, until the oil is hot and shimmering. Add the chicken to the oil and cook for about 1-2 minutes on all 4 sides, until the chicken is golden brown on all sides.
- Pour 1 cup marinara sauce in a 13×9 oven safe pan. Place chicken breasts on the sauce and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is delicious, and easy to make. My family loves it. I tried to print it out for a friend, however, the above recipe has all computer jargon all over it. Span and the words Hidden and span are all over it making it difficult to read.
Hello! I would like to know the nutritional info for this dish. Can you please post it?
I made this dish today. I skipped egg and bread crumbs and used American cheese. The dish wa simple and delicious.
This dish was delicious. I made for my wife and kids. The chicken was great. A MARINADe overnight would HAve taken it over the top. I didn’t make a sauce but will definitely do so next time I MAKe the dish.
I also add a layer of thin prosciutto on top of baby spinach, and for sauce, either a marinara or Marsala with mushrooms!! Yum!!!!
I made this for my husband and I he loved it.
Yummo!
Stacey
I really like the look of the dish but would also like to see the nutrition content to see if it’s worth all the calories/fat?
I made this in a cast iron skillet & used provolone instead of mozzarella. Also added parm to the bread crumbs. I cooked it for 10 minutes then put another 1/2 slice of provolone on top and baked it for another 5 mins. Then added some red pasta sauce and cooked it for 3 more minutes to heat up the sauce. AMAZING!
You either make your own marinara sauce or you purchase one of the good brands like Mario Batali,
Rap, Lidia etc.
Great recipe!! I used mozzarella chesse. Simply delish! The marina sauce was a nice touch too! 🙂
This was really delicious and easy! I used a red wine and garlic pasta sauce and mixed in grated parmesan cheese into the bread crumbs.
I did have to put a tooth pick into the chicken to hold it together though!
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definitely be using it again
I am curious as to what kind of marinara sauce you use. It looks incredible.
Delicious chicken recipe!
This is fantastic! I use crushed pork rinds instead of breadcrumbs to remove the additional carbs to make it more diabetic friendly 🙂