Hasselback Chicken Recipe | Easy Baked And Stuffed Chicken

This Hasselback Chicken recipe is perfect for family dinners! High in protein, low in carbs, and packed with spinach, your family will love the comforting flavors of this simple dish.

What Takes This Baked Chicken To The Next Level

Chicken breasts can often get a bad reputation for being bland and uninspiring. This Hasselback Chicken recipe is absolutely packed with flavor and can easily be customized to create your perfect meal! Here’s why you’ll love it:

• Minimal ingredients required. With only a handful of ingredients, this meal is easy to whip up on a whim when you need a simple comfort cook.
• A simple one pan dish. Forget filling a sink full of dirty dishes just to enjoy one meal. All you’ll need for this dish is one bowl, one pan, and a cutting board.
• High in protein and low in carbs. Packed full of high-protein, low carb ingredients like chicken breasts and ham, this dish is perfect for anyone looking to boost their daily protein intake or keep their carb count in check.

What Is Hasselback Chicken?

If you’ve ever made the tasty traditional version of hasselback potatoes, this recipe is remarkably similar! The only difference is that you’re using a chicken breast as your base instead of a potato.

Hasselback Chicken is simply a way to make stuffed chicken breasts even easier! Instead of creating a pocket horizontally (which can be more difficult and dangerous) you slice horizontally partially through the chicken breasts, creating multiple pockets to stuff with delicious filling.

How Do You Keep Chicken Moist?

Keeping chicken moist during cooking is essential to prevent it from becoming dry and tough. Here are several methods to help ensure your chicken stays juicy:

• Use a meat thermometer. To avoid cover cooking and drying out the chicken, closely monitor the breasts with a meat thermometer. Remove them from the oven as soon as the thickest part of the chicken breast reaches 165F.
• Allow the chicken to rest. Resting chicken breasts after they cook and before serving allows any moisture to reabsorb into the meat, ensuring they stay moist. Allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing them.
• Consider marinating. If you’re worried that your chicken breasts will turn out dry, consider marinating them in yogurt for 30 minutes before assembling the dish. This will help them retain moisture as they bake.

Ingredients To Grab

Hasselback chicken breasts are a delicious dish where chicken breasts are partially sliced and stuffed with various ingredients before being baked or roasted. Here’s how each ingredient is used in the recipe:

• Chicken breasts– These serve as the base of the dish, providing the protein and bulk.
• Deli-sliced ham– The ham adds flavor and a savory element to the dish. It is placed between the slices of chicken breast to infuse the meat with its taste.
• Baby spinach– Baby spinach adds freshness and a vibrant color to the dish.
• Cream cheese– Acts as a creamy and rich filling for the chicken breasts. It helps keep the chicken moist during cooking and adds a luxurious texture to each bite.
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese– Known for its mild flavor and melting properties.
• Minced garlic– Minced garlic is mixed with the cream cheese filling blend for a robust flavor.
• Salt and pepper– The essential seasonings are used to enhance the flavors of all the ingredients.

How To Make Hasselback Chicken

Prepare the chicken breasts and season. Remove any excess fat or blood vessels from each chicken breast. Make 4 to 5 vertical slices 2/3 of the way through the breast, using caution not to cut all the way through the chicken.

Combine the filling. In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, diced baby spinach, minced garlic, and Monterey Jack cheese.

Stuff the chicken breasts. Place half of a piece of ham in each “pocket” you created in the chicken breast. Add a tablespoon of the cheese and spinach filling to each pocket along with the ham.

Bake, serve, and enjoy! Place the stuffed chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Season generously with salt and pepper and baked for 35 minutes at 350F or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F. Serve the hasselback chicken straight out of the oven and enjoy!

Tips And Tricks

Want to ensure your hasselback chicken breasts turn out perfect every time? Check out these tips and tricks before you get started in the kitchen:

• Create the pockets carefully. Use a sharp knife and a delicate touch to create the vertical slices in each chicken breast. If you cut completely through the chicken breasts, all of the cheese filling will melt out of the bottom while baking.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. These stuffed chicken breasts already take longer to cook because of the extra ingredients piled inside. Pushing too many chicken breasts into a small pan will hinder the cooking process even more. To keep this a great weeknight option, leave plenty of room between each chicken breast.
• Resist over-stuffing. As overcrowding the pan will hinder the cooking process, so will adding too many fillings in each pocket. This flavorful filling is tasty enjoy good in small amounts. There’s no need to overfill the chicken.

Variations

If you love this dish but are looking for more ways to switch up the flavors to make this your family’s dream dinner, try some of these great twists:

• Spice it up. When you’re creating your filling, add in some diced jalapeños or green chilis to add a subtle heat and delicious flavor.
• Make it Mexican-inspired. Switch up the filling by stirring in cooked chorizo instead of ham. Swap out the Monterey Jack cheese for pepper Jack or Oaxaca cheese.
• Add more veggies. If you want to add even more veggies to each bite, try adding in chopped mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.

What To Eat With Hasselback Chicken

Not sure what to pair with this simple chicken dish to make it a complete meal? Try one (or all) of these side dish suggestions for a delicious dinner spread:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Vegetables
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Salad
• Dinner Rolls

Storage And Reheating

This recipe for stuffed chicken breasts is great for making for meal prep! When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this hasselback chicken can last for 3-4 days.

When you’re ready to enjoy it, place it back in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until warmed through. If you’re in a hurry to enjoy your leftovers for a short lunch break, simply pop the chicken breast in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until warm in the middle.

If you want to freeze your leftovers to enjoy later, wrap them in parchment paper and then place the wrapped chicken inside of a freezer safe bag or container. They will last up to 6 months. To reheat it, place the individual portion of chicken in the refrigerator overnight to allow it to defrost. Use the methods listed above before digging in.

More Chicken Dishes

If you’re looking for more chicken recipes to keep the ingredients you pick up at the store to a minimum, check out some of these simple to make and delicious chicken dinners:

• Springfield Style Cashew Chicken
• Hunan Chicken
• BBQ Chicken Nachos
• Baked Chicken Tacos
• Cajun Chicken Alfredo

If you love this Hasselback Chicken recipe as much as we do, make sure you share it with your friends on social media so they can try it too! Don’t forget to bookmark it so you can make it again next time you want to elevate your stuffed chicken breasts.