Bacon spinach stuffed chicken is an easy, low carb meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. Chicken breasts are stuffed with bacon, spinach, and mozzarella cheese, then pan seared and finished in the oven.
Bacon spinach stuffed chicken is ready in about 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are stuffed with fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, and bacon. It's surprisingly simple but filled with flavor!
Bacon pulls double duty in this recipe. First, bacon is cooked in a cast iron pan before stuffing into the chicken. The leftover bacon grease is then used to sear the chicken breasts to add even more flavor.
Serve bacon spinach stuffed chicken on its own or with a simple side salad and some garlic bread for a complete meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken - Stuffed chicken is prepared with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You'll need four single serving chicken breasts or two large chicken breasts. If using two large chicken breasts, they'll take longer to cook and can be easily sliced in half to feed two.
- Cheese - Mozzarella cheese can be substituted with sharp cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese.
- Spinach - Fresh spinach or baby kale works best in this recipe. I don't recommend using frozen spinach because it can make the dish watery.
- Bacon - Uncooked bacon is needed for this recipe. We'll cook our bacon in the pan, then use the leftover bacon grease to cook our chicken.
- Seasoning - Pepper and garlic powder add flavor to the chicken. There's no added salt in this recipe due to the double usage of bacon/bacon grease, which adds plenty of sodium on its own.
Tips and tricks
Best pan to use - I recommend using a cast iron skillet or a stainless steel, oven-safe skillet for this recipe. Make sure your skillet doesn't have a plastic coated handle that makes it unsafe for oven use.
Don't have an oven-safe pan? - After searing on the stovetop, transfer your chicken to any oven-safe dish to finish in the oven.
To prepare large chicken breasts - Chicken breasts have become larger and larger in recent years. If you're using very large chicken breasts for this recipe, they may need to be pounded thin before filling to ensure they cook within the listed times in the recipe card. To prepare large chicken breasts, pound to about 1 inch thickness, then butterfly and fill as directed below. If your chicken breasts are large, one can easily be split in half to feed two people after baking.
How to pound chicken thin - Place chicken breasts onto a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper, then top with another piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Gently pound using a mallet or wooden rolling pin to about 1 inch thickness.
Cooking time may vary - The cooking time for this recipe depends entirely on the size and shape of your chicken breasts as well as the calibration of your oven. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frequently asked questions
Chicken turns out dry from overcooking. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer instead of relying on time alone. Chicken is cooked through and safe to eat at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken cooked to a higher temperature will turn out dry.
The cooking time needed for this recipe depends entirely on the thickness of your chicken breasts and the calibration of your oven. If your chicken breasts are thicker than mine, the recipe will take a few minutes longer. If you skip the step of searing your chicken on the stovetop first, the chicken will take longer to cook in the oven. This is because they're missing that initial 4-6 minutes of stovetop cooking.
Stuffed chicken is great served with some garlic bread and a side salad. For a light side, add green beans and onions or some roasted zucchini. For a heartier meal, stuffed chicken pairs well with stovetop mac and cheese.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Bacon Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 16-20 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices bacon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Butterfly your chicken breasts by placing one hand on top and slicing through the side of your chicken breast, leaving the opposite side intact. This creates a pocket to place your filling. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook bacon according to package directions. Remove bacon from pan and drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease. Set aside.
- Season chicken breasts with garlic powder and pepper on both sides. Stuff chicken breasts with spinach, mozzarella cheese, and bacon. Optionally, use toothpicks to keep the chicken breasts closed.
- Reheat skillet over medium heat. Add stuffed chicken breasts and sear for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they're browned and release easily from the pan.
- Transfer skillet to oven to finish cooking for anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center. Baking time depends entirely on how thick your chicken breasts are, so I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- If you choose to omit bacon from this recipe, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan for searing and add ½ teaspoon of salt to the chicken breasts along with the other seasoning.
- If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer chicken to an oven-safe baking dish before baking.
I'm not a huge fan of chicken, but I love bacon, spinach, and cheese, so I thought I'd try this. Excellent. Thanks so much for this!
Both for ease of preparation and flavor, this recipe is a big win. This dish came together quickly and was absolutely delicious. I'll be making this often, for sure. Thank you for a great recipe.
Recipe sounds delicious but doesn’t chicken take longer to cook then 20 mins in the oven especially if their breasts?
Hi Salli, in step two you'll pound your chicken breasts to about 1 inch thickness, which will help them cook more quickly!