Stuffed with a spinach goat cheese filling and drizzled with a tangy lemon sauce, this goat cheese stuffed chicken is an easy weeknight meal that’s guaranteed to impress!
Let’s talk about your new go-to chicken dinner!
There’s nothing we won’t stuff in a chicken breast around here and stepping up to the plate today is the almighty goat cheese.
With just a little green stuff thrown in there for an added bonus. See, dinner is perfectly balanced today!
Not only is this chicken impressive as heck and packed with SO many different flavors, it’s literally the easiest thing ever to pull off with minimal ingredients and only one pan needed!
I spy a weeknight staple coming in hot.
This Spinach Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken features…
- Juicy chicken breasts stuffed with a creamy goat cheese spinach filling
- A garlicky lemon reduction sauce drizzled on top
- Ready in only 45 minutes in one pan
Making the Spinach Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Lemon
- Baby spinach
- Goat cheese
- Cream cheese
- Chicken broth
- Garlic
- Chives
How to Prepare Chicken Breasts
You will need about 1-1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. We typically end up with 4 medium breasts total.
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and use a sharp knife to carefully cut a pocket about 2/3 of the way through each breast. You’re good to go!
Tips for Perfect Stuffed Chicken
- Make the goat cheese filling – the filling is super simple and made up of goat cheese, cream cheese, and spinach. Make sure your goat cheese and cream cheese is room temperature – this will make combining the filling much easier!
- Pan sear chicken breasts before filling – searing the chicken before filling it makes it much easier to flip when you don’t have to worry about the filling falling out. (shout out to the sweet reader who shared this helpful tip with me!)
- Fill chicken breasts and finish in oven – stuff the goat cheese filling into the seared chicken breasts and finish baking the chicken in the oven 10-15 minutes until the chicken registers 165F.
- Make the lemon sauce – carefully remove the chicken from the pan and drain all but 1 tablespoon grease out. Saute the garlic in the drippings, then build the rest of the lemon sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Combine chicken and sauce – nestle the chicken back into the pan and spoon the lemon sauce over top. We like to top this skillet with fresh herbs such as parsley or chives.
Recipe Variations
Check out these ways you can improvise with this stuffed chicken!
- Change up the filling – if you don’t care for goat cheese, substitute more cream cheese in place of the goat and add any additional cheese you want – shredded cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, etc.
- Change the sauce – try a pesto sauce or just skip the sauce all together if you’re not a fan of lemon.
What to Serve With Stuffed Chicken
We love this chicken served over buttered noodles, steamed rice, or even just alongside a big green salad!
This chicken is literally a dream, y’all. The filling is rich and creamy, the chicken is perfectly moist and juicy, and the lemon garlic sauce just brings all the flavors in for a home run.
Stuffed chicken is definitely something even beginners can nail and you’ve absolutely got this. <3
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
We love stuffed chicken around here! Try these other recipes next.
- Fajita Stuffed Chicken with Jalapeno Queso
- Caramelized Onion Mushroom Swiss Stuffed Chicken
- Skillet Creamy Spinach Feta Stuffed Chicken
Spinach Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Sauce
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Ingredients
Stuffed Chicken
- 4 medium chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup packed finely-chopped baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Lemon Sauce
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Instructions
Stuffed Chicken
- Preheat oven to 400F. Pat chicken breasts dry and cut a slit in each about 2/3 through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat an oven-safe 9-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil to pan and swirl to coat bottom. Add chicken to pan and sear 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a large plate and set aside for a moment.
- In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, cream cheese, and spinach until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill each chicken breast with spinach mixture using toothpicks to secure. Return chicken to skillet and bake at 400F 10-15 minutes or until chicken registers 165F.
Lemon Sauce
- Transfer chicken to a large plate and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Heat pan over medium heat and saute garlic 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth to pan and cook until reduced in half. Add lemon juice, zest, and butter to pan and whisk until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle chicken back into pan and spoon sauce over top. Top chicken with chives and serve warm. Enjoy!
Mike P says
Can the chicken be finished on the stove top, covered, so one does not have to use the oven? Guidance please.
Cheers; Mike
Sarah says
Hi Mike – we would recommend finishing in the oven per recipe instructions as the inside of the chicken does not get cooked fully during pan searing.