Stuffed chicken breasts Southwest style are like a little party for the tastebuds and a feast for the eyes! Filled with pepper jack cheese, black beans, corn, and slices of roasted red peppers, this is a deliciously bold and zesty chicken dish to prepare for a taste of something a little “festive” and fun!
These Stuffed Chicken Breasts Have Flavor Galore!
While there are certainly a myriad of scrumptious ways to prepare a simple chicken breast, the one that I find most flavorful, creative and enticing is a stuffed chicken breast.
I personally happen to really enjoy Southwest flavors—those zippy, bright notes from fresh lime juice and zesty spices.
So one my favorite cheese stuffed chicken breast recipes to whip up is one brimming with lots of colorful ingredients fit for a "fiesta". 😉
Grilled off then finished in the oven, these stuffed chicken breasts are filled with lots of creamy and mildly spicy pepper jack cheese, a sprinkle of black beans and corn, plus a few slices of sweet, smoky roasted red peppers for Southwest kick!
Super colorful, juicy and succulent, it's a cozy chicken recipe that's a little flavor party for your tastebuds! 😉
How to Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a Southwest Flair
Whenever I prepare stuffed chicken breasts, I like to marinate them first before grilling them off for a few minutes, then stuffing and baking them.
Since we're talking Southwest flavors here, a hint of freshly squeezed lime juice and zest, plus ground cumin, paprika, coriander and oregano are what I allow the chicken to rest in for about twenty minutes, absorbing all those tasty flavors.
Then the chicken gets a smidge more flavor from a quick trip into a grill pan before getting stuffed, just to create some char and golden-brown color. This doesn't cook the chicken through all the way, which is perfectly fine—the oven will finish it off!
When it comes to stuffing the chicken breasts, I simply create a pocket in the thickest part of the breast using a small knife, then add in my filling ingredients and close the seam with toothpicks before finishing off these baked stuffed chicken breasts in the oven.
Here's a glance at my stuffed chicken breasts recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- I like to impart a bit of extra zippy flavor to the chicken breasts, so I allow for a 20 minute marination in olive oil, lime juice and zest, plus a variety of other tasty seasonings and spices.
- To create those pretty grill marks and some additional smoky flavor, I grill my chicken breasts for several minutes, just until golden-brown, but not yet cooked through.
- Next comes the stuffing: I create a pocket in the thickest part of the breast, taking care not to cut all the way through; then, I carefully stuff the pocket with my cheese and the remainder of my filling ingredients before closing the seam with a couple of toothpicks to keep the filling secured.
- To finish, I place the stuffed chicken breasts onto a prepared baking sheet and bake for roughly 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through and looking mouthwatering with its bubbly, melted cheese!
Recipe
Stuffed Chicken Breasts Southwest Style
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 528 calories (per stuffed chicken breast)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (tenderloins removed and saved for another use)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill pan
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch black pepper
- 1 ¼ cup shredded pepper-jack cheese
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup corn kernels
- ¼ cup sliced roasted red peppers (from jar)
- Pico de Gallo (prepared), for garnish
- Cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Lime slices/wedges, for garnish
- Place the chicken breasts into a medium-size bowl, and add in all of the ingredients beginning with the olive oil, up to and including the black pepper, and toss to season the meat well; marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes, or even overnight, if preparing ahead.
- Once chicken in marinated, preheat your oven to 350°, and line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack.
- Preheat your grill pan over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1-2 tablespoons of oil; once hot, add in the chicken breasts (work in a couple of batches, if necessary) and grill them for about 3 minutes per side, or just until golden on the outside (the chicken will not be cooked through at this point, which is fine.)
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, make a pocket in the thickest part of the breast, taking care not to cut all the way through, but just creating a large enough of pocket to stuff with filling; add about ¼ cup of the cheese, then a couple of tablespoons each of the black beans and corn, and then a few slices of the roasted red peppers.
- Use a couple of toothpicks to secure the opening, and place the stuffed breasts onto the wire rack, and place into the oven to bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and gooey.
- Top each stuffed chicken breast with some of the Pico de Gallo, plus a few cilantro leaves, if desired, and a slice/wedge of lime, for garnish.
Tips & Tidbits for my Stuffed Chicken Breasts Southwest Style:
- Remove the tenderloins from the chicken breasts: You'll notice that often times there is a little tenderloin attached to a chicken breast, and for this recipe, I like to remove that and save it for another use. The tenderloin tends to get in the way of stuffing the breasts, so it's best to remove it.
- Ooey-gooey cheese: Pepper jack cheese has some great kick and added flavor, plus it melts really well. But if you prefer to use a milder cheese, simply use plain jack cheese, or even mozzarella, or sharp cheddar.
- Roasted red peppers, or diced green chilis: Because I love the added color and smoky-sweetness that roasted red peppers out of a jar add to this stuffed chicken recipe, I use those. But you could also sub finely diced green chilis, or even thinly-sliced fresh red, yellow or green bell peppers—even grilled onions!
- Some fresh toppers: A little added tangy freshness is great as a finisher with these succulent cheese stuffed chicken breasts, so I love a couple of spoonfuls of pico de gallo and some cilantro leaves on top before serving. Add some additional lime wedges as well!
Hungry for more delicious and healthy chicken recipes? Check out this Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Basil Salsa, this Teriyaki Chicken, this Chicken Burger, or this Popcorn Chicken!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!
Malia @ Small Town Girl
This sounds amazing!!! I love stuffed chicken. I bet every little morsel is perfection. Pinned to make soon!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Malia, thank you!
Velva
This is a beautiful southwestern style stuffed chicken breast.
Velva
The Cozy Apron
Hi Velva, great to hear from you! Thanks!
Kim
I would like to make this with 5 chicken breasts how much of the recipe needs to be increased.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kim! I wouldn't increase things too much—frankly, you will probably already have enough ingredients for the 5, just maybe go a little lighter with them when stuffing the other 4 breasts. I believe the amounts should be fairly generous, but you could always go with more beans and corn, for example, since you should have either a can or a bag of those and it should be simple to add. Hope you enjoy!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
Oh Ingrid I love this recipe!!!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Aimee, thank you!
Lisa
Me and my husband have decided we need to be healthy and live longer lives and enjoy every minute, and that means healthy food! I can not wait to make this chicken tonight!
The Cozy Apron
Lisa, I'm so thrilled you are preparing this recipe!
Sandra L.
Ingrid, this looks delicious and I can't wait to make it for my grandson....he loves chicken and everything you used to stuff it with. All those amazing morsels stuffed into the chicken and the spices are making me very hungry.
The Cozy Apron
Sandra, so glad to read that you will be giving this recipe a try, as well! I truly hope you enjoy!
Dena Norton
This is gorgeous, Ingrid! I just happened across your site today while searching for 30 minute meals for an upcoming recipe roundup on my own blog. I wonder - would you be agreeable to me using one of your photos as part of the post? I'll of course credit you and include a link back to your site. Thanks!
Kate
Hi Ingrid,
Quick question - do you think using a skillet instead of a grill pan would make a difference?
The Cozy Apron
Kate, you absolutely can use a skillet; the grill pan is nice simply because it provides those "fancy" grill marks 🙂 , but you can achieve the same searing effect with a nice hot skillet. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Amanda N
I like that you stuff the breasts par-cooked instead of raw. Will have to try this!
Patty Perry
I'm looking forward to following you on Pinterest and trying this recipe!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Patty, so glad you found me here. I truly hope you enjoy the recipe!
Cynthia Mehok
Food looks delicious. Comfort food.
The Cozy Apron
Thank you, Cynthia. 🙂
Elsa
Hello! this looks absolutely delish! My boyfriend and I just moved into our own apartment and trying to come up with new recipes on a daily basis is so tiring! However, I have come up with some good ones on a whim! but I will be making this over the weekend!! thank you!!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Elsa, thanks for your comments! I truly hope you guys enjoyed the recipe, and that it helped a little bit in terms of a new recipe to try, giving you a break from "coming up with something new", lol! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Omair Shakil
So i had to use chicken cutlets instead of actual chicken breasts because i had my butcher make cutlets for a different recipe but now I really want to make these! So right now I have them marinating away in the fridge. I was wondering how to cook them since I won't be able to slit pockets in them for the stuffing since they are already so thin like around 1/2 inch thick. Do you think I can cook them on the pan like your recipe suggests and then after they have cooled down, make chicken rollups and bake them? How should I alter cooking/baking times? Or should I skip the pan and just bake them as chicken roll-ups? Thanks for the help!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Omair, thanks for your question—I'm excited that you'd like to try out this recipe! Because my recipe is specifically for the stuffed version, it is difficult for me to give you cooking times for a different version without having prepared it myself, first. So here's what I would advise: forget about the "stuffing" aspect of the recipe this time around (or rolling, etc.) since you have thin cutlets. What I would do after you marinate is to simply then grill those cutlets until cooked through, and preheat the broiler (prepare a baking sheet with foil, too); then, sprinkle a little of the beans, the corn and then the roasted red peppers on top of the grilled chicken cutlets, and top that with the cheese, and quickly broil that just until the cheese becomes nice and melty over top of everything. Then, just top with some of the pico de gallo and some cilantro/lime, as the recipe calls for. This way, you don't need to worry whether your rolls are cooked through or not (you wouldn't really be able to "roll up" already cooked chicken cutlets anyway); and with this, you get all the flavor and very similar presentation, just no stuffing or rolling. 😉 Hope you enjoy!
Joshua
Made this tonight for my family, wife said it was phenomenal!!! I'll definitely be trying more recipes.
The Cozy Apron
Joshua, kudos to you!! You rock. 🙂 I love it when a guy cooks for his family, and gets some love and cheers in return! I hope you do try out some more recipes, and thanks for sharing your experience.
Samantha
I tried this recipe out and it is absolutely amazing! My husband kept raving about how delicious it was and I was equally impressed! 10/10!!
The Cozy Apron
Samantha, that's music to my ears! "Bravo" on such a response! Glad you both enjoyed, and I thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me. Happy cooking!
Jerilyn D.
Such an easy and flavorful recipe. I made it last night for my special needs child (who has a very picky appetite) and my mother (who has pancreatic cancer), both LOVED it. I didn't have fresh limes in hand, so I substituted them for the zest of and juice of lemons. I also didn't have a jarred roasted red pepper, so i roasted a green bell pepper on the stovetop instead. Oh yeah, I added smoke paprika instead of regular paprika.
This recipe is ABSOLUTELY fabulous, I've. Sent it to at least 10 friends/family.
Thanks so much for sharing
The Cozy Apron
Hi Jerylin! I must tell you that I am so honored that you prepared this recipe for your precious family, and that they found some enjoyment & nourishment in it! I am so touched, and I'm grateful you shared your experience with me. Wonderful substitutions, by the way! And thanks for sharing this with others...it's truly the best compliment I could get.
Maria
This looks delicious and I'm definitely trying this for dinner today. Can you tell me the nutritional facts?
KaseyThomas
What would you cook with it?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kasey, rice would be a great choice; but roasted sweet potatoes and a nice green salad with avocado and a zippy vinaigrette would also be delish!
Eve
Made this tonight and it was wonderful! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I've printed it out to add to the "rotation" as my hubby says. 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Eve, I'm so happy to read that! Glad it's being added to the rotation!
Ash
Can i use a iron skillet to give the chicken a sear before putting it in the oven?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Ash, of course! Whatever works best for you!
Manuel
I just wanted to say that was an amazing meal and everyone loved it I will definitely put that in my recipes to make again thanks so much.
The Cozy Apron
Manuel, that is wonderful! Thank you for letting me know. So glad the recipe was enjoyed by all.
John Alford
I just made this last night for dinner. My family was blown away. It was amazing. Thank you.
The Cozy Apron
Hi John, how wonderful! So glad you & your precious family enjoyed your lovingly prepared meal so much, and that you took a moment to come back & share with me. I appreciate it, and hope you find more recipes here on the site to share with them! Happy cooking!
Brenda Newsome
It’s a very nice dish
The Cozy Apron
Brenda, thanks so much!
Kanchana
Hi there! I just wanted to let you know how much my family LOVES this recipe! My husband asks about it all the time. Thanks so much for sharing.
<3
The Cozy Apron
Kanchana, that is so wonderful! It makes me so happy that you shared that, as I love it when families can really enjoy one of my recipes together. Thank you!
Jennifer
This recipe looks amazing. I can't have enough chicken recipes and my family loves southwestern flavors. Thank you!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Jennifer, I hope you try this recipe out—super flavorful and tasty!
Todd S.
This was outstanding! The marinate is fantastic and all of the ingredients come together to create a very flavorful dish. Not to mention it's as visually appealing as it is tasty. This one is a keeper!
The Cozy Apron
Todd, thanks so much for sharing! I'm so very glad you enjoyed the flavors and presentation of the dish, and that it has made it into your "keeper" list! 🙂
Teresa
Looks and sounds great. What would you serve with this.? Rice and a vegetable? What vegetables? Thinking about using it for a church fundraiser dinner. Trying tonight at home for dinner.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Teresa, yes, rice and a veggie, or even a salad, would be great!
I actually have a really tasty recipe that would be perfect, this: Avocado Salad. So yummy!
You could also serve it with a tomato salad where you quarter small campari-style tomatoes, add some lime juice, salt and olive oil, and toss with some thinly sliced onions and some chopped cilantro.
Another really tasty option is to serve with cubed (or wedged) roasted sweet potatoes. Hope you enjoy!
Diana
Made this tonight and it was a hit with everyone! Very tasty - we added salsa and sour cream on top. Really made the flavors pop. Thanks - recipe is a keeper
The Cozy Apron
Salsa and sour cream on top are super delicious, Diana! So glad everyone enjoyed!
Janet
Just made this and filled it with my black bean and corn salad + monterey jack cheese. It was delish!
The Cozy Apron
Janet, so glad you enjoyed!