Bacon Spinach Chicken: A Fast and Satisfying Chicken Dinner Recipe

Bacon spinach chicken is the fast, easy, and deeply satisfying dinner recipe you need to add to your weeknight rotation. Made with lean chicken breasts, soft cream cheese, healthy spinach smoky bacon, and melty mozzarella, you can’t go wrong with this flavor-packed stuffed chicken recipe.

How to Make Bacon and Spinach Chicken

This is a stuffed chicken breast recipe. Each piece of chicken is stuffed with:

Cream cheese, which turns gooey, creamy, and soft as the chicken cooks Frozen spinach, for a bit of brightness and a touch of green in the dish Sun-dried tomatoes, which add a chewy texture and a briny, umami flavor Shredded mozzarella, which melts like a dream Shredded parmesan, which adds tons of salty, savory cheese flavor Crisp bacon, of course, for the meaty, smokey taste in each bite

To assemble the dish, cut slits in one side of each chicken breast. The slits should not go all the way through to the bottom of the chicken, as you don’t want the filling to fall out.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet and combine all of the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Next, divide the filling mixture between each slit in the chicken. Finally, bak the chicken breasts until they’re fully cooked and the cheese is melty and golden.

How long to Cook Bacon-Stuffed Chicken

After assembling the bacon-stuffed chicken breasts on a baking sheet (line it with parchment paper for easier clean-up later), bake the chicken in a 400°F oven for about 35 minutes. The chicken is done when it registers an internal temperature of 165°F.

At this point, remove the chicken from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes. If the cheese is bubbling hot when you pull it from the oven, you want it to cool a bit before serving to avoid burning your guests.

Serving Bacon Spinach Chicken

This hearty chicken dish is a filling dinner on its own, but why not round out the plate with some fresh greens and a filling carb. Serve the chicken breasts over a bed of nutty farro, brown rice or another favorite grain. Even springy butter noodles would make a nice pairing.

On the side, add roasted greens like broccoli, bok choy, or green beans. For a crunchy pairing, make a fresh green salad with spinach, raw veggies, and balsamic vinaigrette on top.

Make-Ahead Bacon-Stuffed Chicken

You can easily use this recipe for meal prep. Cook a big batch of bacon spinach chicken, let it cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Enjoy it for lunch r dinner all week long.

You can also freeze the chicken if you like, though you run the risk of over-cooking the chicken when you reheat it to serve later. When reheating frozen and defrosted chicken, I recommend doing so in a baking dish with sides and a splash of chicken stock or wine to add moisture back into the meat.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Place the chicken on a cutting board and slice slits on one side of each chicken breast. Be sure not to cut all the way through the chicken, as you don’t want the filling to fall out. Sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and pepper on all sides and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, drained spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mozzarella. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Fill every other slit in the chicken breasts with the cream cheese mixture. Fill the remaining slits with a slice of bacon.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of each chicken breast.

Bake until the chicken is cooked through, cheese is melted and bacon is crispy, about 35 minutes.