Stuffed Chicken Over Pasta
Are you bored of making chicken the same way? Well, you don’t have to be. How about trying stuffed chicken? It is a phenomenal dish that does not get nearly as much attention and admiration that it deserves. It is one of my favorite ways to make chicken and one of the easiest ways to keep it juicy while it cooks. Making this recipe is for sure to impress your guests.
These juicy chicken breasts are generously seasoned. They are then partially sliced in the middle so that there is a 3-inch pocket to be filled. Before stuffing the chicken breasts, I allow the seasoned chicken to rest for up to 20 minutes so it can marinate for a bit. The pocket is then stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Be sure to keep the sun dried tomatoes oily. It helps to give a wonderful flavor to the stuffing mixture. I packed the mixture in tightly, being careful to avoid any overflow so that it did not spill out as it baked.
Stuffed Chicken Over Pasta
2
servings10
minutes25
minutesIngredients
1 package angel hair pasta, cooked according to package instructions
2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste
1 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup frozen spinach, with any excess moisture squeezed out
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (I used a store bought jar of sundried tomatoes soaking in olive oil)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and slice a 3-inch slit on one side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Season each breast with garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and salt. Be sure to season the inside pocket. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stuff each seasoned chicken breast with the mixture.
- In a large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil and cook each chicken breast for 3 minutes on each side.
- Transfer the chicken to the oven and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving over pasta.
To cook these breasts, first, you must sear them for about 3 minutes on each side. You want to at least get the outside cooked and browned to give it a beautiful crust. Then, you will place it in a 375 degree fahrenheit oven to finish cooking for another 20 minutes. Do not underestimate the cooking time. The stuffing inside helps the chicken to remain juicy. The chicken must be cooked all the way throughout or else it will not be edible. It may sound like a lot, I know. This dish requires minimal effort, but patience in the waiting time. You’ll be glad that you went the extra mile and waited for it to cook properly once you sink your teeth into this dish.
I serve this over Angel Hair pasta. You can use any kind of pasta. I have tried this with penne and bow-tie pasta and it was delicious. I really like angel hair though, because since the pasta noodles are so thin, they work wonderfully with the cream cheese stuffing mixture.
No additional sauce is required to coat the pasta since the chicken is already dripping with juiciness. The mozzarella cheese and cream cheese can easily be spread all over the pasta when cutting up the chicken. This helps the pasta to get flavored.
Truthfully, the chicken breasts I used were so large that I was satisfied and full after eating only half of one. For this recipe, I am making the serving size to be one chicken breast per person. So, this recipe feeds two people. However, two chicken breasts can feed four people, if it does not take you much food to get full. You decide what is best for you!
You can see by looking at the instructions and photographs that this recipe is fairly simple. It simply requires minimal effort, a little bit of willingness to have fun in the kitchen and a WHOLE lot of love. I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe!
These juicy chicken breasts are generously seasoned. They are then partially sliced in the middle so that there is a 3-inch pocket to be filled. Before stuffing the chicken breasts, I allow the seasoned chicken to rest for up to 20 minutes so it can marinate for a bit. The pocket is then stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Be sure to keep the sun dried tomatoes oily. It helps to give a wonderful flavor to the stuffing mixture. I packed the mixture in tightly, being careful to avoid any overflow so that it did not spill out as it baked.
To cook these breasts, first, you must sear them for about 3 minutes on each side. You want to at least get the outside cooked and browned to give it a beautiful crust. Then, you will place it in a 375 degree fahrenheit oven to finish cooking for another 20 minutes. Do not underestimate the cooking time. The stuffing inside helps the chicken to remain juicy. The chicken must be cooked all the way throughout or else it will not be edible. It may sound like a lot, I know. This dish requires minimal effort, but patience in the waiting time. You’ll be glad that you went the extra mile and waited for it to cook properly once you sink your teeth into this dish.
I serve this over Angel Hair pasta. You can use any kind of pasta. I have tried this with penne and bow-tie pasta and it was delicious. I really like angel hair though, because since the pasta noodles are so thin, they work wonderfully with the cream cheese stuffing mixture.
No additional sauce is required to coat the pasta since the chicken is already dripping with juiciness. The mozzarella cheese and cream cheese can easily be spread all over the pasta when cutting up the chicken. This helps the pasta to get flavored.
Truthfully, the chicken breasts I used were so large that I was satisfied and full after eating only half of one. For this recipe, I am making the serving size to be one chicken breast per person. So, this recipe feeds two people. However, two chicken breasts can feed four people, if it does not take you much food to get full. You decide what is best for you!
You can see by looking at the instructions and photographs that this recipe is fairly simple. It simply requires minimal effort, a little bit of willingness to have fun in the kitchen and a WHOLE lot of love. I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe!
