Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast – A one pan dish with all the essential ingredients to make a chicken dish pop with flavor. What a weekend and only 2 weeks away from Christmas. What!?!!!, Are you kidding me? I still have so much to do in such little time. Between Christmas shopping, driving to different shopping centers, and my normal weekly tasks, this weekend definitely flew by and unfortunately I didn’t get everything done. My goodness, here’s to another busy week. With such a busy schedule this week, all of my dinners will be simple, quick, and of course healthy. Let me start by sharing this awesome Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast. This one pan dish is ready in under 40 minutes and is a perfect choice for quick weeknight dinners for you and your family. It’s quite versatile and rich in flavor. For other quick weeknight dinner ideas, check out Turkey Burger Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls, Vegetable Chow Mein, Easy Stir Fry Chicken, or these sides Oven Roasted Potatoes, Cauliflower Fried Rice or Oven Roasted Beets.
I’m giving myself one more week to get all of my Christmas shopping done. For some reason, I’m finding it very difficult finding things for my family, especially all the kids. Because they’re older now, I’m not sure what they really truly want. They’re too old for toys well most of them are, they have the electronics – the ipad, the iphone, the PS4, the xbox not too mention the accessories. Now what’s left? Sure, I could give them money and/or gift cards which I will do, but I’m still hoping to find something unique and fun for them to open as well.
Christmas shopping is meant to be enjoyable and at this point I think I’m putting too much pressure on myself. I’ve been searching and searching and nothing is really jumping out at me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made progress. But, at this point, I want to be D-O-N-E, so I can focus my attention on holiday recipes and more holiday decorating ideas. This is the very reason why quick dishes like this Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast is perfect for times like this.
How To Make Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
Boneless Chicken Breast: For this recipe, boneless skinless chicken breast is essential. As you may know, chicken breast in not the “easiest” meat to cook as it could taste dry if it isn’t cooked properly. It has very little fat which makes it the healthiest part of the chicken, but the most difficult to cook. But, who wants to eat dry tasting chicken. If you’re not use to cooking chicken breast. I highly recommend that you brine the chicken breast first. Brining is a mixture of salt and water that is used for seasoning and tenderizing meat. Although not required, I recommend that you do this if you have at the minimum an additional 15 minutes to spare, or you can brine the chicken breast up to 6 hours in the fridge. I brined this chicken breast for 1 hour.
Brining: A salt water mixture used to season and tenderize meat. In additional to salt, you can use other seasoning and spices. Submerge meat in the vessel used to prepare the salt water mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Refer to instructions below.
Skillet: I used a cast iron skillet although an oven-proof pan or regular pan will work perfectly.
Stuffing: I stuffed the chicken breast with mozzarella cheese and mushrooms though you can also stuff with frozen spinach and other vegetables. Using a paring knife or other sharp knife, cut a slit through the thickest part of the breast. When cutting, do not cut through to the opposite end of the breast. The goal is to create a “pocket”. By the way, if stuffing your Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with spinach, make sure to thaw the spinach completely and remove as much of the excess water as possible before stuffing the chicken breast.
Cooking process: After stuffing the chicken breast, use a couple of toothpicks to secure the slit, sear both sides of the chicken breast and place skillet in the oven to continue the cooking process. If you do not have an oven-proof pan, it’s perfectly fine. You have 2 options:
- You can sear the chicken breast on top of the stove in a pan or skillet then transfer the seared chicken breast and drippings to a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- You can omit the searing and simply cook the chicken breast in a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
Health Benefits of Cooking Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
Boneless skinless chicken breast has many nutritional benefits. Not only is it high in protein, it’s a low fat, low calorie food and a great source of iron and potassium. In keeping with the nutritional benefit, it’s important to recognize that the way in which chicken breast is prepared makes a huge difference in it’s nutritional outcome. So, keep it healthier, by removing the skin, enhance the flavor with fresh herbs or other spices, bake instead of frying, use heart healthy oils such as olive oil.
According to LiveStrong.com, “a 3.5 ounce of boneless skinless chicken breast contains 31 grams of protein which is two-thirds of the 46 grams of protein women need each day and 55% of the of the 56 grams of protein that men should have each day.”
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast is a healthy one pan dish that's simple and quick to make for any weeknight dinner. It's stuffed with mozzarella cheese and mushrooms and drizzled with a mix of its pan juices and white wine.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup sliced mushroom
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add water and salt to a pot and place on stove over medium heat. While water is warming stir until salt dissolves. Remove pot from heat once salt mixture is warm. Allow mixture to cool.
Wash chicken and add to salt mixture, cover with plastic wrap and brine for a minimum of 15 minutes or up to 6 hours in the fridge. Remove chicken from salt mixture and rinse with cold water. Place chicken breast on a clean plate and pat dry with paper towels.
Cut a slit through the thickest part of each chicken breast creating a pocket. Do not cut through to the other end. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese and sliced mushrooms inside each pocket. Close each pocket using toothpicks to prevent the ingredients from falling out. Season with pepper and fresh thyme. Set aside.
In a cast iron skillet or oven proof pan, add olive oil and butter over medium high heat and sear both sides of chicken breast. About 6-7 minutes per side.
Place skillet or pan in oven to continue the cooking process. Cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until the juices run clear, or the thickest part of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius).
When done, remove chicken breast from oven and place chicken on a clean plate. In the same skillet keep about 2 tbsp of the pan juices. If necessary, add a drizzle of olive oil and place the skillet over medium high heat. Add mince garlic and saute until fragrant. De-glaze pan with white wine and simmer until oil is cooked off. Place chicken breast back in skillet, baste chicken with pan juices, place in oven for an additional 3 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow chicken breast to rest. REMOVE toothpicks.
Serve with one of your favorite side dishes and enjoy.
**Please note: Nutritional values serve as a guide only as values may vary.
If you do not have an oven-proof pan, it's perfectly fine. You have 2 options:
- You can sear the chicken breast on top of the stove in a pan or skillet then transfer the seared chicken breast and drippings to a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
- You can omit the searing and simply cook the chicken breast in a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
Use 2 toothpicks per chicken breast to secure the pocket. Remember to remove toothpicks as soon as you remove the dish from the oven.
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