Your family will go nuts for this BROCCOLI AND CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE! The filling is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with tender bits of broccoli, the chicken bakes up so juicy, and we wrap the whole thing in bacon! No one will even realize this is a low carb meal.
It’s back to school season and I’m over here like, NOPE.
We’ve always homeschooled our kids, so I’m not one of the moms that gets to wave goodbye at a bus and then go about my day sans kids. Which is nice…I mean, I like my kids.
But, man. They are around A LOT. 😉
Anyway, it’s hectic around here, which is why I’m allllll about the simple dinners that fill tummies and keep people smiling. There is nothing worse than listening to kids complain about dinner.
This broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken is a hit every time. I took my broccoli casserole and changed things up slightly to make it work as a filling for chicken breasts. Seriously good and oh so cheesy.
Plus, the kids don’t really even notice the broccoli because they’re ogling the bacon. That trick works on the husband too. 😉
It’s back to school season and I’m over here like, NOPE.
We’ve always homeschooled our kids, so I’m not one of the moms that gets to wave goodbye at a bus and then go about my day sans kids. Which is nice…I mean, I like my kids.
But, man. They are around A LOT. 😉
Anyway, it’s hectic around here, which is why I’m allllll about the simple dinners that fill tummies and keep people smiling. There is nothing worse than listening to kids complain about dinner.
This broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken is a hit every time. I took my broccoli casserole and changed things up slightly to make it work as a filling for chicken breasts. Seriously good and oh so cheesy.
Plus, the kids don’t really even notice the broccoli because they’re ogling the bacon. That trick works on the husband too. 😉 Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken for the win!
We love this served with air fryer butternut squash and green beans almondine.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken Breasts – I’ve only ever tried this recipe with chicken breasts, but a reader mentioned using chicken thighs. It would probably work just as well with those.
Cheese – This stuffed chicken recipe uses both Parmesan and cream cheese to get that extra cheesy flavor!
Bacon – My favorite part about this chicken is that it gets wrapped in bacon before it goes in the oven. Bacon makes everything better!
How To:
- Prepare the Chicken: Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and grab a sharp knife. Place one hand flat on the chicken breast to hold it steady and use the other hand to slice a deep pocket into the side of the chicken. Do not cut all the way through. This the pocket where you’re filling will go.
- Season the Chicken: Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Drizzle the chicken with oil. Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken and rub it in to coat.
- Make the Filling: Add the cream cheese, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, and salt to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chopped broccoli.
- Stuff the Chicken: Spoon the filling into each chicken breast, making sure to press it all the way inside the opening.
- Wrap in Bacon: Take strips of bacon and wrap them around each chicken breast.
- Bake: Bake the chicken in a hot oven for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
FAQ’s:
I use fresh raw broccoli in this recipe. It cooks in the oven, so no need to first steam it. I have not tried this with frozen broccoli, however it may work.
I’ve only tried this recipe with the cream cheese so I can’t recommend another substitute. Readers have tried Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese as a sub, and said they worked well.
This recipe should freeze perfectly. Freeze, unbaked, and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as directed.
More chicken recipes you might like:
Spinach Stuffed Chicken: This chicken recipe is a reader favorite!
Air Fryer Chicken Legs: The kids are obsessed with these!
Lemon Chicken: The simple sauce is bursting with flavor!
Asparagus Stuffed Chicken: This one is even simpler and oh so good!
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas: Serve these over cauliflower rice.
What To Serve With Broccoli Stuffed Chicken:
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Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
This simple stuffed chicken recipe is favorite with my kids!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, about 5 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ¼ cup chopped broccoli
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast. Drizzle chicken with olive oil.
- Add the paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to a small bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chicken.
- Add cream cheese, Parmesan, mayonnaise, garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt to a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Stir in the broccoli.
- Spoon the cheese mixture into each chicken breast evenly.
- Slice each piece of bacon in half and wrap each piece of chicken with 2 pieces of bacon.
- Place the chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Place pan under the broiler to crisp the bacon more, if desired.
Notes
Be sure to chop the broccoli fairly small to make it easy to stuff the chicken.
Swap out the seasoning blend for any that you prefer. This is our standard spice mix for seasoning chicken and it does work well here.
Watch the recipe video above to see how to easily cut the slit into the chicken for stuffing. It's simple, so don't be intimidated!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 385Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 1015mgCarbohydrates: 4gNet Carbohydrates: 2gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 35g
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I made it tonight and it was delicious! I used raw spinach in place of broccoli. Didn’t have paprika so i used a chicken seasoning (which contains paprika). Highly recommended! 8)
Glad it was a hit!
This is one of the best chicken recipes I’ve ever had!
I swapped out chicken breast for thighs, and it turned out fantastic!
Glad to hear you enjoyed!
You are making my mouth water. Thank you!!!
is it mandatory to have a cream cheese and if not what would you recommend replacing it with?
I’ve only tested this with cream cheese, but ricotta would likely work as well.
Can you use the bag broccoli
I’m not sure what you mean by bag broccoli.
I sooooo wanted to make this but i didn’t have broccoli, so i changed it the broccoli for portabella mushrooms and a little bit of spring onions. I was so amazed at how good it was my husband even liked it. Next time I’ll get the broccoli to try. Thanks so much
Sounds like great swaps! 🙂
Can you use frozen thawed broccoli??
I think you probably could, but I’d be worried about the texture of the broccoli.
Trying this tonight can’t wait!!!!
OMG!!! I made this tonight and it was amazing!!! I made a bacon ranch pasta salad and it complimented it perfectly!!
Don’t like Cream Cheese – now what???
These sound great. Once prepared, (before cooking) can the breasts be frozen for later? I would only be using 2 at a time.
I haven’t done it myself, but should work fine. 🙂
I made the recipe a few days ago for the freezer. Wrapped each raw breast in wax paper and sealed them in a freezer bag. I cooked one for lunch today and it was delicious! Juicy and tender and full of flavor.
So glad to hear they froze well and you enjoyed them!
Mine is baking as I type and house smells so good! When I added recipe to my trackers the numbers came out slightly higher and lower but not enough to change my mind and net carbs were only 3.6which is important to me.
Hi Corry! I use My Fitness Pal to calculate…seems like all of the sites are a bit different. 🙂
You don’t mention the size (or at least I can’t find it if you did!). I’m doing Keto and I’m wondering how to measure the protein if the weight of the chicken is unknown. Thanks!
I use 5-6 ounce chicken breasts…seems to be a pretty standard size.
I made this for my dinner tonight and I have to tell you it is AWESOME! It was so filling I could eat only 1/2 of my chicken breast. (Which works out fine for lunch tomorrow!) I forgot I was out of garlic and garlic powder, so I used “Weber’s Kickin’ Chicken” in the rub and the filling. Worked out great. 🙂 Love your recipes, definitely going to make more now that I’ve tried this one!
So glad to hear that!! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Trying it tonight. Can’t wait
Hope you enjoyed!
We are making this today 🙂
375 degrees – celsius or fahrenheit?
Fahrenheit! 🙂
Thought so 😉
We cooked for 30 min at 200 degrees celcius and it was absolutely delicious 🙂
What can i use instead of paprika
You could use any seasoning you like for chicken.
Raw broccoli or cooked?!
The broccoli is raw.
Is the broccoli cooked before going into the chicken?
Nope.
Yummy
This recipe sounds so good. Am going to try making it this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you enjoy!