This Margherita Asparagus Stuffed Chicken with goat cheese, tomatoes & spinach is a delicious 30-minute, low-carb dinner cooked on the BBQ!
Ingredients in asparagus stuffed chicken
Here's what you need to make this stuffed chicken recipe. Full ingredient amounts are in the recipe at the bottom of the page.
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- paprika, garlic powder & salt (to season the chicken breasts)
- asparagus
- canned fire roasted tomatoes
- goat cheese
- spinach
- fresh basil & chili flakes, for garnish
How to make margherita chicken
Here's how to make this easy stuffed chicken:
- Preheat BBQ or oven, then make a deep cut in the middle of each chicken breast.
- Season with paprika, garlic powder and salt, rubbing chicken all over.
- Add asparagus spears to each breast, then top with fire roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and spinach.
- Fold each chicken breast over, tying with a string to hold together if needed. Cook for 15-20 minutes, garnish with basil & chili flakes, then serve with choice of side and enjoy!
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is super versatile and you can make a number of sub ins. Here's what you have flexibility with:
Spices/seasoning: Instead of paprika, garlic powder and salt, you can mix up the spices you use (chili powder & Italian seasoning work great) or just use seasoning salt.
Asparagus: Finely chopped broccoli works great as a substitution for asparagus, or you can just leave it out altogether.
Fire roasted tomatoes: I use canned fire roasted tomatoes but regular canned tomatoes also works. You can even do fresh diced tomatoes if you'd like, or use sundried tomatoes.
Goat cheese: Feta cheese is a great substitute, but you can use any type of cheese you'd like. White cheddar, provolone slices and Monterey jack cheese also taste amazing.
Spinach: Feel free to sub in kale or arugula in place of the spinach, or any other leafy green you'd like.
Basil: You can always garnish with dried basil instead of fresh but the flavour will be different. You don't need to use fresh basil but it just adds a summery feel.
Side dish ideas
Here are some delicious sides to serve with your stuffed chicken breasts:
- Roasted/grilled potatoes
- Oven fries
- Side salad
- Corn on the cob
- Grilled or roasted vegetables
- Garlic bread
- Pasta
- Rice
Cooking on the BBQ
I recommend cooking this recipe on the BBQ as that will bring out the summer flavours the best, but it can be a little bit more messy, especially if the fillings fall out or your chicken isn't well secured.
However, there's no replacing that char on the chicken! Here are my top tips to grilling this chicken:
- Preheat the BBQ to 425 or med-high heat
- Secure your chicken with string to avoid the fillings from falling out
- Flip your chicken halfway through for even cooking
- Avoid olive oil on the outside of the chicken as that will cause flames to flare up in the BBQ
Cooking in the oven
If you don't have a BBQ, this chicken will be equally delicious in the oven! Here are my top tips to cooking in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F
- You don't need string as much when cooking in the oven, just be sure to place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to avoid any mess
- No need to flip your chicken halfway through
- You can use a little bit of olive oil on the outside of the chicken to avoid sticking to the baking sheet if you don't have parchment paper
Storing and reheating
You can store leftover chicken in the fridge up to 5 days. Sprinkle some water overtop and microwave 2-3 minutes to reheat, or consider slicing your breasts up and sprinkling some water overtop before microwaving for more even cooking.
Can you freeze stuffed chicken?
You can totally freeze stuffed chicken! To ensure it's at its best, you should freeze it raw and uncooked with the fillings inside. However, you can freeze it after it's been cooked too. In both cases, defrost in the fridge overnight in order to cook or reheat, and follow the directions in the recipe card as usual to cook through.
More stuffed chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for storing the leftovers
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through
Margherita Asparagus Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 asparagus spears
- 1 cup fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup goat cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish
- chili flakes, for garnish
- Side dish ideas: roasted baby potatoes, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, arugula salad
Instructions
-
Preheat BBQ or oven to 425 F. Make a deep cut in the middle of chicken.
-
Season with a mix of paprika, garlic powder and salt, rubbing chicken well all over. Add two asparagus spears to each breast, then top with about 1/4 cup of fire roasted tomatoes, 2 tbsp of goat cheese and 2 tbsp fresh chopped spinach.
-
Fold each chicken breast over, tying with a string to hold together if desired. Place on BBQ or in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken is fully cooked (should register 165 F if using a meat thermometre to measure doneness).
-
Remove from grill and garnish with basil and red chili flakes. Serve with your choice of side and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
The post Margherita Asparagus Stuffed Chicken appeared first on The Girl on Bloor.