Made in one pot and ready in under an hour, this spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken with orzo is easy to make yet flavorful and has everything you need, including protein, complex carbs, fiber, and healthy fat, for a healthy weeknight meal.
There are about a thousand recipes for goat cheese stuffed chicken online and, quite frankly, I’m pretty sure any of them would work out just fine. I mean, any ingredient combined with goat cheese and stuffed into a chicken breast is going to taste good! However, I figured there had to be a way to take the classic baked chicken breast to the next level and turn it into a one-pot meal, so that’s exactly what I did. This oh-so-simple combination of goat cheese, chicken, spinach, and orzo is quick and easy to pull together while being incredibly delicious and nutritious! The recipe is simple enough that you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen but fancy enough that you could serve it at a dinner party and impress a crowd, so what’s not to love?
Complete with protein, leafy greens, and healthy fats, this spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken is a well-balanced meal that you can enjoy for dinner any night of the week!
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Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
This spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken is stuffed with a mixture of goat cheese and basil, however, feel free to use any combination of fresh herbs that you enjoy!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 25 minutes
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Total Time: 35 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Mains
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Method: Baked
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
- 3–4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- Sea salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a small bowl, combine goat cheese and chopped basil and mash gently until well combined.
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice each chicken breast horizontally, at it’s thickest point, about 1.5″ to 2″ long, keeping the ends attached, to form a pocket. Once a pocket has been formed, stuff each chicken breast with 1/4 of the goat cheese mixture. Once stuffed, season the chicken breasts generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat. Once warm, transfer the stuffed chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Once cooked, gently remove the chicken breasts from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add onion and garlic, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. (You may need to add an extra drizzle of olive oil to help them cook.)
- Add orzo and spinach, stir to coat with the onion mixture, and allow to cook for about 1 minute until the spinach has wilted slightly. Cover with broth, stir until everything is well combined, and bring to boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, and return the chicken breasts to the pan, gently submerging them half-way in the broth .
- Transfer the pan to the oven and allow to bake for a 20-25 minutes until all of the broth has been absorbed.
- Remove form the oven, fluff orzo with a fork and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 367 Calories
- Sugar: 1 gram
- Fat: 11 grams
- Carbohydrates: 18 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 48 grams
Well, I guess I will not be making this dish, since it will not let me print.
Hi Michelle! Thanks for your comment and for letting me know, the print option is now working!
Wow, I’m sorry your only comment on this wonderful dish was so rude haha. I just wanted to say I am not a wonderful cook but my sweet husband still likes everything i make anyway for the most part. But. I made this last night and he could not stop talking about how good it was! This is one of our favorite easy dinners now. So, so good! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I used an herbs de Provence goat cheese bought at my farmers market and it was ?
I did notice my goat cheese basically just cooked out of my chicken, which was fine bc it just made the orzo more delicious. But just curious if you have a tip for keeping the goat cheese in there?
Wow, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! And the addition of the herbs de Provence in the goat cheese sounds amazing!
In terms of the chicken, it can depend on the size of the breast and how big you cut the slit. I find that cutting a smaller slit and almost creating a hole with my finger or a knife in the middle (but not cutting the slit bigger) can really help to “stuff” it as opposed to it just sitting between the top and bottom piece. Another thing you could try is using a toothpick or butchers twine to close/tie the breasts up once you’ve stuffed them!
Can you use rice instead of orzo to make it gluten free? Do you think cooking time would change?
Hi Linda! You could certainly use rice instead. Long grain white rice, such as basmati or jasmine, take about 15 minutes to cook, so it wouldn’t affect the cooking time at all. However, I would not recommend using wild rice or brown rice.
Delish! Couldn’t believe how quickly this came together. It was a hit!
Wondering if anyone has tried this recipe in the instant pot?
I can’t say that I have, but I don’t see why not!
This looks amazing! I have one question for you. Does the chicken need to be fully cooked before putting it back in pan to go in oven, or just golden on the outsides? Rookie cook over here! 🙂
Just the outsides, it will finish cooking in the oven! Cooking it in the pan first helps to sear in the juices and give it a better texture. 🙂
Incredible flavour! And simple to fillow
Incredible flavour! And simple to fillow
I recommend this dish to everyone I know! It tastes like a fancy diner out–there is something about orzo!–and only takes the one dish to make. I’ve even tried Swiss cheese when I was out of Goat’s and it worked perfectly still. It is a fool proof recipe!
We had this for supper tonight and it was a hit! I added about 1/4c of lemon juice to the orzo before baking and it turned out really well.
Thanks for sharing so many great recipes! You’re my go-to for supper inspiration!
So happy you enjoyed it! And what a nice touch with the lemon, sounds delicious!
This dish is definitely in our “Top 5” family dinners list.
Awesome! So happy everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Such a yummy dish! I added parsley with the goat cheese and basil too. Made it for my family and they immediately told me they needed the recipe.
So happy everyone liked it, thanks you so much for sharing!
This was PHENOMENAL! I added a splash of white wine when adding the broth. This will be a repeat in our home ☺️
I’m so happy you liked it and love the addition of the broth, thanks for sharing!
How would you reccomend cooking this without an oven safe pan?
Great question! I’d recommend following the instructions up to and including step 5, then transferring the onion and garlic mixture to an oven-proof baking dish. Then following the remaining steps, 6 and onward. Don’t worry about wilting the spinach or boiling the broth in step 7, it will cook in the baking dish in the oven – it may need an extra 5 minutes, but it will work.
Amazing the whole family loved it.
Delightful!
A big hit!
love this recipe! so easy, so delicious and so nutritious!
This is nice – will make this one a staple in my meal rotation might try it with basmati rice
Delicious and satiating. Whole family approved.
I live this recipe! I’ve made it many times for family and friends and always get rave reviews. I’ve even made it slightly deconstructed and still delicious!
I’m so happy to hear it, thank you for sharing!!
This is 5 star gourmet ! I served it to guests and now they think I am a culinary genius! Absolutely delicious. Easy to make. And my fave point with all Stephanie’s recipes- it’s a balanced meal.
Thank you so much, Kim! Happy you like this one. 🙂
I love this recipe. Simple yet so flavourful and satisfying. A favourite at our house!
This is one of my favorites, so good! Your recipes have taught me so much and make meal planning a breeze. Thanks.
The family loved this recipe. Full of flavor and richness.
love this -my husband asked for seconds its a keeper in my rotation
I’m so happy yo hear it! Thank you for sharing, Nadine.
Every time I’ve made this it’s been a hit! Do you think you can make this meal ahead of time and put it in the freezer? Asking because I’m about to have a baby and would love this as a freezer meal 🤤
I’m so happy you like it and, yes, you can absolutely make it and freeze it for up to 3 months. Also, congrats!
I love this dish!! We’ve made it several times and love it every time! I currently have WAY too much quinoa in the house and no orzo – do you know if it’s possible to sub in the quinoa? I saw another person mention using rice but am not sure if this changes things.