Spinach stuffed chicken breast with artichokes is an easy way to make a cheap staple stand out. With a rich and creamy stuffing of cheese, spinach, and artichokes, these Keto Stuffed Chicken Breasts are special enough for company but easy enough for every day.
Say goodbye to the breadcrumb-stuffed chicken of your past, and say hello to this keto stuffed chicken breasts recipe. This easy low carb recipe will become a new favorite on your weekly meal plan.
I'm not big on meal prep. I cook fresh ingredients most nights of the week but there are some days I just don't feel like it. That's why I love having a few meals in the freezer just in case for busy nights and these are a great main dish option. They can be cooked from frozen in an instant pot in minutes! This easy stuffed chicken recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
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One of my closest friends Daria and I like to cook together. We get together on a weekday and meal prep while our little ones play. She came over in April and in about two hours we banged out a few trays of meatballs, cilantro lime chicken, and a big batch of these stuffed chicken breast.
Is Stuffed Chicken Keto?
Not always. Many times it will be breaded or have breadcrumbs in the filling. But you can make it at home with just as much flavor as any restaurant or prepared meal.
Stuffed chicken is actually the perfect recipe for keto because it helps you feel satisfied without pasta or carbohydrate elements.
Ingredients:
- chicken breasts - you want small to medium-sized chicken breasts
- cream cheese - regular cream cheese is fine, I normally use the store brand
- artichoke hearts - canned in water are best but marinated are fine if you drain them very well
- parmesan cheese - grated or shredded both will work
- frozen spinach (thawed) - make sure to drain it well, if you want to use fresh you need to lightly saute it first
- dried minced garlic - garlic powder or fresh chopped also work
- dried minced onion - onion powder or fresh onion is fine too
- salt & pepper - you can season the filling to taste before it touches the raw chicken
- garlic salt - I use this to season the chicken, any seasoning blend can work instead
How to Make Keto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Crispy on the outside and cheesy creamy on the inside, these low carb stuffed chicken breasts are an easy weeknight favorite. Here's how to make them:
Step 1: Make the filling in a medium to large-sized bowl. Chop artichokes and mix with thawed and drained spinach. Mix in softened cream cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper.
Expert Tip: The spinach and artichoke filling for stuffed chicken breast are so good I have a hard time not just eating it with a spoon! You can make the filling into a dip by just adding a little sour cream and mayo. We love it that way with fresh veggies!
Step 2: Pound the chicken breasts until they are thin. Place on a baking sheet. Divide the cream cheese mixture between the chicken breasts.
Expert Tip: I do prefer to pound the chicken breasts thin for this but you can cut pockets in the side of the chicken breasts or even use the Hasselback chicken method if you prefer.
Step 3: Roll the chicken around the filling.
Expert Tip: Make sure to lightly season both the inside and outside of the chicken breasts for the best flavor.
Step 4: At this point, you can either cook the chicken or freeze the chicken. We wrapped each chicken breast individually in plastic wrap.
Step 5: If you are cooking them fresh they are best baked at 350 for 30-40 minutes until they are 160 when checked internally with a meat thermometer.
Variations
Cheese - You can absolutely vary the cheese in these. Mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, cheddar cheese, or even pepper Jack all make great additions.
Bacon - My family can never say no to adding bacon to almost anything. Feel free to add some cooked bacon to the filling or wrap the stuffed chicken breasts in bacon before baking.
Riced Cauliflower - If you want to lighten up the filling replace some of the cream cheese with cauli-rice.
Deconstructed - I made an easy version of this that just have the topping on top of the chicken. If you don't have time to stuff chicken try this Lazy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Breasts recipe.
Can you freeze Stuffed Chicken?
Absolutely! This makes 12 Artichoke Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts. You can half it if desired but they freeze well. I like making the entire batch and freezing them individually for quick meals.
We both froze the spinach stuffed chicken breasts individually wrapped so we could pull them out for home date nights. My husband and I try to get out a couple of times a month alone for dinner. We think it is really important to have time without the kids to just talk and be together. But babysitters can get expensive.
There are many weeks that we just have a date night at home. We let the kids eat pizza and watch a movie in the living room and we'll eat alone in the kitchen. Having Keto Stuffed Chicken Breasts ready in the freezer makes a delicious but easy meal for our home date nights.
How to Cook Frozen Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Instant Pot - I cooked some of these in my instant pot right from their frozen state. Just put them in, set the timer for manual high for 10 minutes and we had a delicious dinner entree!
Oven - Place the frozen chicken breasts in a rimmed pan, baking dish, or casserole dish, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 until they are hot and read 160 on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes.
Skillet - Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet. Cover tightly. Heat on medium-low until they are thawed. At that point, you can turn the heat up to medium to brown the outside. Always check with a meat thermometer before serving. They should be 160 degrees internally.
Crockpot or Slow Cooker - I do recommend using one of the other cooking methods. However, if you prefer to cook these in a slow cooker cook them on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Check the internal temperature before serving.
Side Dishes
Most nights I throw a couple of bags of steamable vegetables into the microwave to go along with our protein. Those plus the standard fare of raw veggies dipped into my homemade ranch is enough for my family. In the summer we lean towards Caesar salad as our favorite side dish. Some other great choices are green beans, sauteed zucchini, asparagus, garlic broccoli, roasted cabbage steaks, and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Want to change things up? Try this Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Salmon!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 chicken breasts about 5-6 pounds
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 can quartered artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 10 oz frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, artichokes, parmesan, spinach, and seasonings. Mix well. Set aside.
- Pound chicken into thin pieces with a meat mallet. I normally cover it in plastic wrap to avoid splatters of chicken juice.
- Spread out all the pieces of chicken on a couple cookie sheets. Divide the filling between them all. It helps to do it this way so you don't run out of the filling or end up with some left over. Roll up the chicken. Sprinkle each with a little garlic salt. Wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap if freezing. Or put seam side down in a casserole dish to cook immediately.
- To cook: Thaw chicken breasts overnight if frozen. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until the inside registers 160 on a meat thermometer.
Notes
- Cook in an Instant Pot for 10 minutes on Manual High Pressure.
- Bake until cooked through. About 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven. The chicken should read 160 degrees with a meat thermometer.
Nutrition
Originally Published June 14, 2016. Revised and Republished on July 9, 2020.
Debbie Colletti says
These are absolutely delish! I serve them to guests, and my family. Any suggestions for a sauce to top them with to dress them up on guest night? Your recipes are so easy to follow and very tasty!. Thank you for sharing!
Taryn says
These are pretty rich on their own so maybe a light white wine-based sauce. I think this one would be good: https://www.acouplecooks.com/white-wine-sauce/ just swap out the flour for a pinch of xanthan gum.
Liz says
Could you brown the outsides of the chicken first and then bake?
Taryn says
Sure!
Debbie Colletti says
Absolutely delicious. I love the stuffing with veggies or tortilla chips. Thank you!
Bonnie says
These were so good! They do require some prep and I was intimidated by it at first. Easy peasy!! Have made this several times and some are in the freezer! Thank you for your great recipes!
Susi says
Can you use fresh spinach and do you know how much, if so?
Taryn says
I'd suggest sauteing it first or it will release a lot of liquid when cooking and the filling could be runny. It cooks down a lot. I'd try a pound.
Donna Hardin says
This was absolutely fabulous. I didn’t roll mine, I was swamped the day I made it...I put the chicken on bottom of a casserole dish and then topped with the filling. I covered it for half the baking time because I wasn’t sure without it being wrapped in the chicken if it would get to over done. It was perfect. I am thrilled...because one side of the dish I did boneless, skinless thighs, the other side, boneless skinless breasts...so every one was happy and the chicken was so succulent. THANK you so much for sharing...I have needed some new inspiration!!
Julie Grant says
I just put mine in the oven unrolled too. Did you cook it for half the time or did you keep it covered for half the time?
I'm so excited the stuffing was amazing before it was even coomed!
Andie Thueson says
This looks absolutely amazing I cannot wait to try!
Tayler Ross says
My family absolutely loved this chicken! Can't wait to make it again!
MaryAnn D says
Could this be made in an instant pot (either fresh or frozen)? I am new to the instant pot and am looking for something to be my first recipe for it 🙂
Taryn says
I have cooked these in my instant pot. I stuffed them and froze them. I added them to the pot on the rack with a cup of water in the bottom. I think I cooked them on manual high for 15 minutes.
MaryAnn D says
That sounds great, thank you!
Miranda E Trussell says
The proper internal temperature for chicken, even when stuffed, is 165 degrees for 15 seconds. You definitely dont want to undercook it!
Taryn says
This is a very good read. http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/07/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast.html It basically says that 165 is recommended as an industry standard to simplify things. Because at 165 bacteria dies instantly. But at 160 (which I recommend) the chicken has to stay at 160 for 14.8 seconds to kill the bacteria. Unless you are plunging your chicken into an ice bath once it hits 160 it should stay there for awhile. My husband recently purchased a sous vide. We've been cooking chicken at 140 which makes an amazing tender chicken breast. It really is a neat way to cook. We just did stuffed pork for Christmas at 140 with this technique. It was moist and tender.
happy cook says
typo, 2nd sentence of post: "With a stuffing of chicken and artichokes" I assume that's meant to say "... of spinach and artichokes". Thx!
Taryn says
Thanks. I'll hire an editor someday. lol.
Michelle says
Question...Plain or marinated artichoke hearts? This recipe sounds amazing! My family loves spinach artichoke dip sobthis should be a big hit!
Taryn says
I use canned plain artichoke hearts. Marinated work also, just drain them well and rinse them. Otherwise, the filling can be too salty.
Sally W says
Absolutely amazing!! My 9 year old loved it, I loved it, the hubby loved it and the 4 year old ate it! Home run!!
Molly M says
I made these tonight for dinner and they were AMAZING!! The filling is wonderful all by itself, but then roll it up in some chicken breasts and you have a great meal! The whole family loved these. Thanks for this recipe. Blessings!