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If you’re looking for a recipe to impress guests, this is it.
We found the original recipe here, tweaked the filling, and now we can’t stop making it!
This chicken takes a little bit longer to make than your average chicken breast recipe, but the results are well worth the extra little bit of effort. You’ll have tender, juicy chicken breasts stuffed with cheesy, basil pesto filling every single time.
Easy Homemade Pesto:
While you can easily use store bought pesto in this recipe, we think homemade tastes best. You can use this easy homemade basil pesto recipe from our Pesto Chicken Casserole.
How to make cream cheese and pesto stuffed chicken
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray (this will make for super easy clean up!).
Step 2: Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork. Mix until completely combined.
Step 3: Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, almost completely through to the other side (but don’t actually cut it in half. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center.
Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
Step 4: Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Discard any leftovers.
Step 5: Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.
Step 6: Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.
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Serve this chicken with:
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppyseed Dressing
- Parmesan Orzo
- Oven Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Broccoli and Cheese Orzo
- Easy Broiled Asparagus
Looking for more chicken breast recipes? These are our favorites:
- Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
- Instant Pot Pesto Chicken and Potatoes
- Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken Soup
- Healthy Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Cream Cheese and Pesto Stuffed Chicken Recipe
Simple ingredients like cream cheese and basil pesto pack an added punch of flavor, and keep your chicken breasts incredibly moist and tender. This is a great dish to impress any dinner guest.
Serving servings
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon basil pesto
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork.
- Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
- Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 248 kcal · Carbohydrates: 11 g · Protein: 28 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 81 mg · Sodium: 348 mg · Potassium: 494 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 192 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 59 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Yummy! It looks so good!
This was really very good! I did twice the cream cheese & pesto…also added some minced garlic, shredded Italian cheese and some lemon juice. I put the chicken in a large zip lock baggie and pounded them out before cutting the side slits. Baked for 27 min. at 385 degrees. Served with Penne’ pasta with some cooked chopped broccoli and alfredo sauce. Spooned a bit of the alfredo sauce on the chicken breasts too. Had to use 3 toothpicks to close up the breasts because I filled them pretty full. From beginning of prep to the finished baking, it took me around 1 hour 20 minutes… My guys LOVED it…not hard, just a bit time consuming, but worth it!