🐓 Quick Spinach Stuffed Chicken Recipe (Keto Friendly) - Thinlicious (2024)

Keto spinach stuffed chicken needs only 4 ingredients and takes only 10-minutes to prepare.

The cream cheese, bacon, and spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer.

It’s one of the yummiest, easiest healthy chicken dinners you will ever make.

Spinach-stuffed chicken breasts are made with a few simple ingredients, then throw them in the oven, and dinner will be ready in 30 minutes.

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With less than 1g carbs per serving, these will suit anyone who is low-carb, keto, primal, gluten-free, or Whole30. But don’t worry – your non-low carb-eating friends and family will love this one too!

There are so many varieties of high-protein meat that you can eat on the keto diet, take a look at these meat protein charts.

Easy ways to cook chicken

If you have chicken sitting in your fridge or freezer, there are so many ways to cook chicken that are keto friendly and low-carb.

A plain cooked chicken breast can get really boring really fast, so you need some quick and easy ideas to make a fast tasty chicken dinner. All you need is some herbs, spices, and various kinds of cheese to jazz up your chicken.

• Stir fry chicken with fresh or frozen vegetables and cabbage
• Wrap chicken pieces in bacon and fry or bake
• Make a slow-cooker chicken curry
• Keto chicken stuffed with pesto
• Use the slow cooker to cook stuffed chicken breasts

And if these healthy recipes aren’t enough, there are 21 more recipes to cook fast tasty chicken.

These keto spinach stuffed chicken breasts make it look like it’s actually taken some effort (but we won’t tell anyone how easy they are).

Ingredients

This is one of the best stuffed-chicken breast recipes because it comes out perfectly. Juicy chicken, baby spinach, smokey bacon, and a cream cheese filling – it’s all absolutely delicious.

Here’s what you need to make this chicken dinner:

• Chicken breast – boneless chicken, skinless chicken breasts, full-size (not tenders)
• Cream cheese – full-fat cream cheese has the best flavor and nutrition
• Bacon – use unsweetened bacon on the keto diet
• Spinach – fresh baby spinach is best

See the stuffed chicken breast recipe card below for quantities, nutritional facts, and instructions.

Instructions (oven and air fryer)

The basic idea is simple. Stuff the spinach mixture and cheese mixture into the chicken breast and then bake it. There are two ways to bake cream cheese spinach chicken – in the oven and in the air fryer.

Before starting, spray the baking dish or air fryer basket with cooking oil to prevent the stuffed chicken from sticking.

STEP 1: Spread cream cheese into the sliced chicken breast.

STEP 2: Place the fresh baby spinach into the center then place a few pieces of raw bacon along the center. Season with salt and pepper as you like. You can even add chicken seasoning, onion powder, or garlic powder inside too.

See all the variations and substitutions below.

STEP 3: Fold the chicken breast over to close then secure it with a toothpick.

Before cooking, spray or brush over the chicken with cooking oil to make sure the chicken remains moist and tender. Season again if necessary.

How to cook in the oven

Place each spinach-stuffed chicken breast into a large oiled baking dish. Cook at 180C/350F for 30 minutes. Cooking times will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts.

Cook until the chicken is completely cooked into the center. Chicken should always be fully cooked with no red or pink meat.

Sprinkle chopped chives or other herbs over the top as garnish (optional).

How to cook spinach stuffed chicken breasts using an air fryer

If you have boneless skinless chicken breasts and an air fryer, this is one of the most popular recipes to make juicy chicken for dinner tonight.

Using an air fryer to cook stuffed chicken breasts is quick and easy.

1. Preheat to 180C/350F.
2. Spray the wire basket with cooking oil.
3. Gently place each stuffed chicken breast into the oiled basket. Ensure there is plenty of space between them. Do not overcrowd your air fryer.
4. Cook for 15 minutes, open the drawer and turn each piece.
5. Cook for a further 15 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces being cooked. Chicken must be completely cooked into the center of each piece.

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If you love using your air fryer, I have 101 keto air fryer recipes for you to choose from (chicken, pork, ground beef, salmon, vegetables, and even desserts). Discover how to use your air fryer plus FREE printable air fryer cooking cheat sheets.

Storage

Store leftover cheese-stuffed chicken breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Substitutions

If you have any cut of chicken such as chicken breast or chicken thigh, some spinach, and some other pantry staples, you can make this baked chicken recipe tonight.

Are certain ingredients stopping you from making this spinach-stuffed chicken recipe? Below you will find our recommendations for common substitutions.

• Cream Cheese – to make mozzarella stuffed chicken, use mozzarella cheese instead of cream cheese. You could also use drained cream cheese, Brie, Camembert, or mascarpone cheese. Any cheese-stuffed chicken breast is delicious.
• Chicken breasts – you can also use chicken thighs, but this combination will also taste delicious stuffed into a pork tenderloin. Instead of skinless chicken, use a chicken breast with skin and peel the skin back while adding spinach and cream cheese. Fold the skin back into place and secure it with a toothpick.
• Bacon – use turkey bacon instead of pork bacon.
• Spinach – kale or arugula are perfect substitutes, but they have a stronger flavor. If you use them, I suggest sprinkling garlic powder or onion powder on top of the chicken to cut some of that tartness down.

The above substitutions are great alternatives to will keep your delicious dinner keto, low-carb, and gluten-free.

Variations

This quick and easy chicken recipe is so adaptable, that makes stuffed chicken breasts to be exactly how you like them with a number of variations. Keto spinach stuffed chicken is just as suitablefor a family meal as it would be for a dinner with friends.

Chicken stuffing flavors and variations:

• Creamy traditional flavor stuffed chicken – add cream cheese and spinach as shown in the recipe.
• Taco stuffed chicken – mix some taco seasoning with cream cheese for the filling. Sprinkle cheese and more taco seasoning over the chicken breast before baking.
• Mexican stuffed chicken – fill the chicken breast with cream cheese, jalapeno slices, and red peppers – for that spicy tasty taste.
• Burger stuffed chicken – fill the sliced chicken breast with smoked cheese, tomato paste, mustard, and pickles.
• Crispy – Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the chicken breasts.
• Herbs and spices for chicken -why not jazz up your chicken tonight easily by adding fresh crushed garlic, garlic powder, onion flakes, chicken seasoning, or chicken salt?
• Bacon-wrapped chicken breasts – after preparing the cream cheese stuffed chicken, wrap each chicken breast in bacon. This is perfect for the BBQ too.
• Mozzarella cheese – sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of each stuffed chicken breast for a baked cheesy crust.
• Parmesan cheese – place some shredded parmesan inside each stuffed chicken breast and on top for a quick and easy baked chicken parmesan.
• Seasoning – you can add your favorite seasoning to the inside of the stuffed chicken breast such as Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic salt, or onion salt.

Equipment

This stuffed chicken breast recipe only uses a few simple kitchen tools. All you really need is a sharp knife, cutting board, toothpick, and an oiled baking dish. You can either use a casserole dish or a prepared baking sheet.

FAQs about keto spinach stuffed chicken breast

Best keto side dishes to serve with chicken

There are so many delicious low-carb and keto side dishes to serve with chicken. Chicken is a versatile family-friendly dinner and so you need to choose quick and easy healthy side dishes the whole family will love.

Here are some of my favorite keto side dishes to serve with chicken.

• Cheesy keto garlic bread
• Easy mashed cauliflower
• The best low-carb bread, pasta, and potato substitutes
• Low-carb keto almond flour bread
• Baked cheesy broccoli and cauliflower

Instead of serving chicken with mashed potatoes, keto spinach stuffed chicken would be lovely served with spinach carbonara, mashed cauliflower, or with olive oil or macadamia oil drizzled over a green salad.

More keto dinner recipes

These are the most popular keto dinner recipes that are perfect for beginners. They are perfect for a low-carb diet, keto diet, or high-protein low-carb diet.

If you’re a busy mom, these are all easy recipes for a healthy dinner tonight.

• Keto spinach and feta pie (almond flour crust)
• Keto fried chicken (keto KFC)
• Keto creamed spinach recipes
• Keto chicken nuggets (gluten-free)
• The best keto chicken parmesan