Succulent Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast filled with sauteed mushrooms and cheese and drizzled in a velvety white wine sauce making this dish a delicious and unforgettable easy weeknight dinner.
This recipe was inspired by my Cajun Spatchcock Chicken Recipe and Dutch Oven Cajun Turkey Breast and my Pan Fried Panko Chicken Breast.
It also pairs well Saffron Yellow Rice In Rice Cooker, Crispy Oven Roasted Broccolini, Sauteed Green Beans, Stir Fry Kale, or Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes.
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Ingredients Notes
Please refer to the ingredient notes:
- Brine chicken breast: If you’re not used to cooking chicken breasts, I recommend brining them in a saltwater mixture first for at least 15 minutes up to 24 hours. Your chicken breast will turn out moist, soft, and succulent.
- Chicken breast is a very lean meat and if not cooked properly, it can turn out very dry and unpleasant to eat. So, brining first and cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees is a surefire way to make perfectly cooked chicken breast.
- Mushrooms: Although you can certainly stuff your chicken breast with raw sliced mushrooms, I suggest sauteing your mushrooms first if time permits. This not only elevates the flavor of the mushrooms but makes stuffing easier.
- Mozzarella cheese: I always have mozzarella cheese on hand since I make homemade pizza regularly, but you can use your favorite melty cheese. I suggest grating your cheese as this makes it easier to stuff compared to slicing.
- White wine: Who doesn’t love a velvety sauce? White wine goes well with poultry and makes the most delicious sauce for drizzling. So, this is the deal, do not choose just any ole’ white wine. Select one that you or someone in your family will drink. It doesn’t have to be expensive but a decent wine will go a long way as far as taste. I like to use Pinot but Sauvignon Blanc is great as well.
- Seasonings: I will forever love cooking with Cajun seasoning. I make it homemade and use it as my all-purpose seasonings for many dishes. It adds a depth of flavor well beyond just using salt and pepper.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
Mozzarella stuffed chicken breast is so easy to make and uses everyday ingredients you may already have on hand.
If you're unfamiliar with how to cook chicken breast properly, I highly suggest brining them in a saltwater mixture FIRST for at least 15 minutes up to 24 hours prior to cooking. This will ensure a juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken breast.
Brine: Submerge the chicken breasts in a large bowl or pot of saltwater and allow them to brine for the amount of time you see fit. Cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to cook (photo not shown).
- Rinse the mushrooms under cool water and dry thoroughly with paper towels by blotting.
- Slice mushrooms into fairly thick slices.
- Grate mozzarella cheese.
- Set aside.
- Place a saute pan over medium- high to high heat.
- Add grapeseed or olive oil to pan.
- Add sliced mushrooms into a single layer and saute both sides until golden brown.
- Place on a clean plate. Set aside.
- Using kitchen shears or paring 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".
- Stuff each breast with sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese & spinach (optional) and be generous.
- Use ONE toothpick to secure the slit to prevent the filling from seeping out.
- Remove the paper towels from baking sheet and discard ONLY leaving on the foil paper.
- Place the chicken breasts on top of the foil paper.
- Drizzle grapeseed oil or olive oil on both sides then season generously with your Cajun seasoning blend.
Refer to recipe card for detailed instructions.
- Place an oven-safe skillet over medium-high eat, add grapeseed oil or olive oil to the skillet.
- When skillet is hot, gently place each chicken breast in skillet.
- Sear each side for 6 to 7 minutes (you'll want each side to be golden brown as shown in the photo).
- Then place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake until the thickest part of the breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove from oven & place chicken breast on clean plate. REMOVE TOOTH PICKS.
Here's How to Make the White Wine Sauce
To whip up the white wine sauce follow these instructions (photo not shown):
- Place the same skillet with the pan juices over medium heat.
- Add 1-½ to 2 Tablespoons of COLD butter into skillet and whisk vigorously until butter melts.
- Then add ½ cup of white wine and bring to a gentle boil then turn down heat to simmer until sauce thickens (pay attention to the consistency, so the sauce doesn't evaporate).
- Add your mozzarella stuffed chicken breast back to the skillet and spoon sauce over each breast.
FAQs
There are two important tips 1) Brine your chicken breast FIRST before cooking if you're not use to cooking chicken breast properly. 2) Use an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breast. Rather than focusing on time, use your meat thermometer. When the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F, it's done.
Do not use pre-grated mozzarella cheese. There is an ingredient that causes the cheese to clump, and it honestly doesn't melt very well. Instead, I highly recommend grating the cheese yourself. It melts beautiful and tastes so much better. After you grate your cheese, using your fingers, fill the pocket of the breast as much as you can.
After stuffing, use a tooth pick to seal the pocket of the chicken breast, so the filling doesn't seep out. If possible, use only ONE tooth pick. The more tooth picks you use, the higher the chances of you forgetting to take one out. I recommend using one.
Yes, it sure can. You will follow the same instructions, but you will not sear or bake the chicken breast in the oven. Instead, you will place it into an airtight container in a single layer and cover it with a secure lid or wrap it securely with plastic wrap then store in the fridge to cook the next day.
Top Tips
- If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, 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.
- If you're stuffing with frozen spinach, make sure to thaw the spinach completely and remove as much of the excess water as possible using paper towels before stuffing.
- Be very generous when stuffing each breast.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to check internal temperature as the thickest part of the breast should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Line baking sheet with foil paper for easy clean-up.
- Use paper towels to pat dry chicken breast and to remove excess water from frozen spinach.
Looking for a new dinner idea? Consider making my Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast for your next weeknight dinner.
Did you make this recipe?
If so, let me know how it went. Leave a 'Star Rating' within the recipe card down below and/or TAG @cookingwithbliss on Instagram. I can't wait to see how it turned out.
📖 Recipe
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet dutch oven, oven-safe skillet
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Baking sheet
- Paper towels for absorbing excess moisture
- Foil Paper for easy clean-up
- Large pot for brining
Ingredients
Brining Process
- 4 cups boiling water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
Chicken Prep
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 tablespoon grapeseed (2-TBSP for searing chicken; 3-TBSP searing mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mushroom (mini bella or white mushrooms)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shred using a box grater (DO NOT BUY PRE-SHREDDED CHEESE))
White Wine Sauce
- 1-½ tablespoon butter (COLD butter)
- ½ cup white wine (one that you might drink)
Instructions
Brining Process
- Add water luke warm water to a large pot then add kosher salt. Swirl water until salt dissolves. Then, add chicken to salt-water mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Brine chicken in this mixture for the amount of time you see fit. For at least 15 minutes up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Chicken Prep
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rinse the mushrooms under cool water and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Slice them into fairly thick slices. Grate mozzarella cheese using a box grater. Set aside.
- Place a saute pan over medium-high to high heat. Add grapeseed or olive oil to the pan. Add sliced mushrooms into a single layer and saute both sides until golden brown while adding a little more cooking oil if necessary. Place on a clean plate. Set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with foil paper then add a layer of paper towels on top of the foil paper. Remove each breast from the brine and rinse thoroughly under cool water. Gently shake off any excess water while trying NOT to splatter. Lay each breast on top of the prepared baking sheet. Using additional paper towels pat the top of each breast to absorb any excess moisture.
- Using kitchen shears or a paring 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". Stuff each breast with sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese & spinach (optional). Use ONE toothpick to secure the slit to prevent the filling from seeping out.
- Remove paper towels from the baking sheet and discard ONLY leaving on the foil paper. Place the chicken breasts on top of the foil paper. Drizzle grapeseed oil or olive oil on both sides to act as a binder then season generously with your Cajun seasoning blend.
- Place a cast iron skillet or another oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, and add grapeseed oil or olive oil to the skillet. When hot, gently place each chicken breast in the skillet. Sear each side for 6 to 7 minutes (you'll want each side to be golden brown as shown in the photo).
- Then place in a preheated 400-degree oven and bake until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F.· Remove from oven & place chicken breast on a clean plate. REMOVE TOOTH PICKS
White Wine Sauce
- Place the same skillet with the pan juices over medium heat. Add 1-½ to 2 Tablespoons of COLD butter into a skillet stirring vigorously while the butter melts. Then add ½ cup of white wine and bring to a gentle boil then turn down the heat to simmer until the sauce thickens (pay attention to the consistency, so the sauce doesn't evaporate). Add your mozzarella stuffed chicken breast back to the skillet and spoon sauce over each breast. Allow the chicken breast to rest for 5-7 minutes.
Notes
- If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, 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.
- If you're stuffing with frozen spinach, make sure to thaw the spinach completely and remove as much of the excess water as possible using paper towels before stuffing.
- Be very generous when stuffing each breast.
- Use a instant read meat thermometer to prevent over cooking. Internal temperature should register to 165 degrees F.
- Line baking sheet with foil paper for easy clean-up.
- Use paper towels to pat dry chicken breast and to remove excess water from frozen spinach.
Alex
This turned out great! I made it with alfredo sauce plus noodles and Parmesan cheese. I added spinach and mushrooms to the garlic at the end. I did not wash the chicken, though, that grosses me out.
CookingwithBliss
Hey Alex - I'm so happy to hear the Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe turned out great, and the alfredo sauce sounds amazing - that's a great idea. I appreciate your comment and 5 star rating. Thanks so much.