Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Chicken
Why Is My Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Chicken So Good!
- Stuffed chicken takes just a few extra minutes of prep, but it’s so much more flavorful for it. Stuffing incorporates a lot of flavor into every single bite.
- Stuffing it also helps keep the chicken moist. Chicken breast is easy to dry out when it’s overcooked, so a stuffed breast is more forgiving if it goes a couple minutes past done.
- This filling leans into bold, classic Italian flavor without a long ingredient list. Sun-dried tomato pesto, Italian seasoning, and fontina cheese worth together perfectly so you get that restaurant quality taste in every bite.
- Flavor is my top priority. I highly recommend seasoning the chicken inside and outside. You want the meat to be flavorful as well as the filling.
- Stove to oven method is also all about that extra flavor. Searing the chicken first builds a deep, golden crust through the Maillard reaction, the same browning that makes a seared steak taste so good.
Table of Contents
Ingredient You’ll Need and Notes
If you’re wondering what to do with a pack of chicken breast, this is a perfect recipe. Just a few simple ingredients and you’ve got an amazing stuffed chicken dinner:
- Chicken breasts: try to get the packs where chicken breasts are all about the same size so the cook evenly.
- Sun-dried tomato pesto (pesto rosso): This is the bright and bold counterpart to classic basil pesto, made with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, nuts and parmesan. Jarred pesto rosso works totally fine, but homemade sun-dried tomato pesto takes only about 5 minutes and the flavor is so much better in my experience.
- Fontina cheese: Fontina is a semi-soft Italian cheese with a nutty, buttery flavor that melts into a smooth, creamy layer without overpowering the pesto. Mozzarella or provolone are the closest substitutes if fontina isn’t available.
- Seasoning blend: Salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes build the same Italian flavor base as the pesto, inside and out. Adjust amount of red pepper flakes based on how much heat you prefer.
See full list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card!
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Getting it up to temp now means the chicken can go straight from skillet to oven later, no waiting.
- Butterfly the chicken open like a book. Hold the breast flat with your non-dominant hand, fingers curled back. Starting at the thick side, slice horizontally through the breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the far edge. Opening it fully, not just cutting a pocket, lets the filling spread edge to edge.
- Mix the seasoning in one batch. Combine the salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Use about half of the seasoning to season inside of the butterflied chicken first, before adding stuffing. This will help flavor the meat itself.
- Divide the pesto. Divide the pesto among all 4 chicken breasts and spread it on one half of each breast.
- Add Cheese. Layer slices (or shredded) fontina cheese over the pesto.
- Fold shut and secure with toothpicks. Fold the bare half back over the filling and pin it with 2-3 toothpicks, or the filling will push out as the chicken sears.
- Season the outside and add parmesan. The parmesan crisps against the hot skillet as the chicken sears, adding a crust the seasoning alone won’t give it.
- Sear the stuffed breasts in a hot, oiled oven-safe skillet until deep golden on one side and then flip. I recommend starting the stuffed chicken breasts top down.
- Transfer the pan into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. The sear builds a deep, flavorful crust before the oven finishes cooking the chicken through.
The USDA recommends cooking chicken breasts to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, checked with a food thermometer.
Variations To Try
- Swap the cheese. For a tangier filling, try feta like in this Sun Dried Tomato Feta Stuffed Chicken.
- Use homemade pesto. Both sun-dried tomato pesto and classic basil pesto work well here if you want to skip the jarred version.
- Add fresh herbs. A tablespoon of chopped fresh basil or parsley mixed into the filling adds a brighter, herby note alongside the pesto.
- Wrap it in bacon. For an even richer take, wrap the stuffed chicken breasts in bacon before searing, similar to this Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella and Pesto Stuffed Chicken.
What To Serve with My Stuffed Chicken
This stuffed chicken pairs well with almost anything, since the filling brings most of the flavor.
- Rice: rice pilaf makes a simple, fluffy base that soaks up the juices from the chicken, or go a little richer with creamy parmesan rice.
- Potatoes: fluffy mashed potatoes or oven roasted potatoes both work as a heartier side.
- Vegetables: Haricots verts, Italian roasted asparagus, roasted zucchini, or a simple side salad help balance the richness of the pesto and cheese.
- Pasta night: parmesan mushroom orzo makes a light, herby side that won’t compete with the pesto, or slice leftover chicken over pasta.
Storing Recommendation
- Storing: Store leftover stuffed chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in a covered skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through, which helps keep chicken from drying out. The microwave works in a pinch, in short bursts, 30-40 seconds. It also helps to cut it into chunks when reheating in a microwave.
Sliced thin, leftover chicken also makes a great Italian sun-dried tomato pesto grilled cheese, since it’s already built around the same pesto and sun-dried tomato flavors.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Recipe FAQs
Toothpicks hold the seam shut so the pesto and cheese filling doesn’t push out as the chicken sears and cooks in the pan. I always use 2-3 per breast. Some cheese may still leak out, but that’s okay because you can (and should) spoon all the juices and cheese over the chicken when serving. (SO good!)
No, cutlets are too thin to butterfly and stuff. Stick with whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts so there’s enough thickness to hold the filling.
I like to sear it first to build a golden, flavorful crust through the Maillard reaction before it finishes cooking in the oven. Skip the sear and the outside stays pale and a lot less flavorful.
You can freeze cooked stuffed chicken. It’s not safe to pre-stuff raw chicken and freeze it. It’s also not a good idea to refreeze chicken that’s already been thawed once, and most chicken breasts you buy have already been previously frozen. Bake this fully, let it cool completely, then freeze the cooked chicken for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as described above.
More Stuffed Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Sun Dried Tomato Feta Stuffed Chicken
- Parmesan and Herb Stuffed Chicken
- Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella and Pesto Stuffed Chicken
- Apple Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Pockets
- BBQ Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Stuffed Chicken Marsala
- Asiago Spinach & Mushroom Chicken Rollatini
- Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups
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Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 chicken breasts)
- 1.5-2 tsp salt
- 2.5 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1-1.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 4-5 oz sun dried tomato pesto (pesto rosso)
- 5 oz fontina cheese
- 1/4-1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Mix the seasoning together (salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.) You will use about half to season the inside of the butterflied chicken breasts and half on the outside.
- Butterfly the chicken: Start off by laying the chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Hold it down gently with your non-dominant hand. Remember to keep your fingers curled up for safety. Start cutting on the thicker side of the breast. Hold the knife parallel to the cutting board and carefully slice through the chicken breast, horizontally, but all the way through. Stop about 1/2 inch away from the other edge. Open the chicken breast like a book.
- Season the inside of each butterflied chicken breast and divide the sun dried tomato pesto among all 4. Spread the pesto on one half of the butterflied chicken.
- Divide the fontina cheese among all 4 chicken breasts, over the pesto.
- Close the chicken breasts and fasten the ends with 2-3 toothpicks.
- Season the outside of each stuffed chicken breasts with remaining seasoning. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with parmesan cheese as well.
- Preheat a large skillet (or another oven-safe pan) and add some oil. Sear the stuffed chicken breasts on one side and flip each over when it gets golden brown. Transfer the pan into the preheated oven and cook for 18-20 minutes.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
