Tender Chicken breasts stuffed with broccoli, parmesan, cheddar, and cream cheese. This quick flavor-packed meal is bursting with flavor and texture and makes a delicious low-carb dinner.
I’ve become a bit obsessed with chicken breasts lately. The whole concept of stuffing chicken breasts with your favorite fillings and having a complete dinner is just too good to pass up. All the flavors cook inside the chicken breasts and make the chicken super juicy and flavor-packed!
A few weeks ago I shared my garlic spinach parmesan stuffed chicken breasts and this week I’m sharing this DELICIOUS broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken. The filling is a mixture of steamed broccoli, garlic, bell pepper, parmesan, cheddar, and cream cheese. The parmesan and cheddar make the broccoli and chicken super juicy and gooey and the creamy cheese ties the whole dish together and gives it a creamy texture that is AMAZING when combined with the cheddar and parmesan!
To begin, steam broccoli florets in the microwave or on the stove-top. Alternatively, you can also blanch them for 1 minute in boiling water. After they are cooked, run them under cold water, drain, and roughly chop them into chunks.
To the broccoli add bell pepper, garlic, and your favorite cheeses. I like to use parmesan, a melting cheese, and cream cheese. If you don’t have cream cheese, you can replace it with mayo. Mix everything up and stuff into butterflied chicken breasts.
If this is your first time stuffing chicken breasts then fear not. The whole process is not as complicated as it looks.
How to butterfly chicken breasts for stuffing:
Butterflying chicken breasts for stuffing is all about making a secure “pocket” for the stuffing rather than butterflying the chicken all the way through.
Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breasts horizontally to form a pocket – be sure not stop cutting about 1/2 inch from the sides and back of the chicken breasts so you aren’t cutting all the way through.
Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
- 1 teaspoon paprika, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the filling
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, or melting cheese of choice
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- To steam broccoli: Chop the broccoli florets into small pieces. Put all the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl and about 2 tablespoons water. add water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, steam on stove-top or blanch in boiling water for 1 minute.
- Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breasts horizontally to form a pocket. Be sure not stop cutting about 1/2 inch from the ends and sides. Season chicken breasts with a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the steam and chopped broccoli, bell pepper, garlic, cheeses and salt & Pepper; set aside. Spoon the mixture into each chicken breast evenly. Secure with toothpicks if needed.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Heat 1 tablespoons oil in a large cast iron or oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do you mince a bell pepper?
I didn’t have chicken breast, only boneless thighs from Sams Club, so I used two packets of thighs seared them until they were about half cocked through.
I doubled your recipe, because everything Sams Club or Costco is about that… I steamed the broccoli and bell peppers, then added them to the mix (added a dash of “Paleo Powder” instead of salt and pepper. I moved that mix to a pot on the stove and added a cup of heavy cream, and moved the chicken into this to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, with the lid hoisting slightly off the edge. Enough to reduce but also keep moisture in for the chicken.
I set the oven to one hour and (maybe 15 to 20 minutes (until I had a sufficiently golden crust) at 350 and had the best chicken bake I’ve ever made!
It took longer than your recipe, but I couldn’t filet them because they were smaller pieces, however the flavor was perfect.
***cook***
I love fancy AND delicious dinners! Always looking for great keto meals. We had company over and this dinner was enjoyed by all. Thank you for this great recipe!
This was delicious! I skipped the bell pepper and Italian seasoning, but it was perfect and flavorful. I was glad it was easy to make too.
Babyyyyyy this was sooooooo good !!! Definitely a go to in my house !!!! Thanks for sharing . I’ll be trying some other recipes on your site . 😁😁😁😝😝😝
These are very delicious! I skipped the scewers and the pre-browning, and set each breast slightly upright in a glass 9×13, and they browned beautifully with no threat of broken toothpicks. Way easier and the look lovely too.
My husband hates cream cheese or the like, is it very noticeable because he will not eat it if he can see or taste it? If I added mozzarella to the mix do you think that would help hold it together?(or perhaps an egg?)
You can try the recipe with feta cheese or another type of soft spreadable cheese!
I’m making this tomorrow for dinner. I’ll be adding spinach and maybe mushrooms as well. Thanks for the idea x
Fam favorite in my house and it’s so fast and easy! Love to make this on a busy weeknight with some mashed cauliflower! Dont skip the paprika either, it’s so good on this! <3 Thank you for the recipe!!
Just wondering where the salt content comes from, over 1000 mg for one serving? Very curious?
I was wondering the same! Hoping for an answer!
Just re-did the calculation and it looks like most of the sodium is from the cheeses. I would lower the cheese content for low-sodium.
Salt comes from the cheese.
I am excited to make this for family on Father’s Day! What sides do you all recommend to make with it?
really love this dish what other stuff can you put instead of broccoli
You can try sundried tomatoes or spinach!
This is a repeat dish for me and my fam! I make a little extra of the stuffing to top the chicken and 🤯🤤 Hubby chops while I prep chicken and it’s always delicious! Thank you!!
Great teamwork! I’m glad you and your husband enjoy this dish <3