Hasselback Stuffed Chicken is stuffed with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, plenty of cheese, and then roasted until tender and bursting with flavor. Thank you Milk Means More – United Dairy Industry of Michigan for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
I make no apologies for that fact that I love stuffing of any kind. When cooking something that’s been stuffed with something else, it just sets a special tone to the occasion that brings people running–a sort of if you stuff it, they will come situation occurs. The cacophony of expressive Oooo! and Aaaahh! from around the table at the sight of a seemingly elaborate stuffed dinner is very gratifying to the home cook. Besides the accolades, stuffing just about anything tasty with something even more flavorful is just good policy on the culinary front.
Now, I’m not talking stuffing that borders on ludicrous like a turducken. Let’s be real. Nobody has time for a turducken, least of all this mama of four. Turducken is proof positive that some people need better hobbies.
I take a more realistic approach to stuffing. Combine a few tasty nibbles and stuff them as efficiently as possible into something else. Cook and serve it up while sitting back and relish in the fact that your guests are seriously impressed. Oh–this is the most important step–keep the secret that the whole affair took very little effort to prepare.
It’s that kind of attitude that leads me to serve Rosemary Pesto Pork Roast filled with Apples, Spinach and Gouda for more holiday dinners than not. Chicken with Proscuitto Roll Ups are a quick and easy crock pot dinner that makes a frequent weekday appearance on our table, and if my kids are really lucky, I’ll whip up a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes for dessert. In fact, I think it’d be fun to host a dinner party in which every course is stuffed! I’ll call it a Stuff All the Things Party.
One of my favorite tricks is to stuff chicken with cheese (and maybe a vegetable or two) to make an otherwise ordinary dinner really special. My plan was to create a stuffed chicken recipe with an unusual combination of things than what wouldn’t normally be expected to be stuffed in a chicken breast. I quickly decided on going with a sort of sun-dried tomato and artichoke heart dip kind of vibe.
Stuffing a chicken breast is kind of a pain in that it requires slitting the side of a chicken breast and creating an internal pocket in which to hold the stuffing. Creating the pocket isn’t that difficult. However, they don’t hold much, making the stuffing is more of an accent than an integral part of the meal. I want the stuffing to be an equal partner, but I hadn’t quite figured out how to accomplish it. Then Bonus Mom made a Hasselback style chicken filled with spinach and ricotta cheese for my Dad’s birthday dinner.
Hasselback Chicken is prepared much like the potatoes of the same name. Simply fill several tiny slits on top of the chicken breast with stuffing. Brilliant! Hasselback Stuffed Chicken is filled with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, a blend of cheeses, and then oven roasted until tender and bursting with flavor. I highly recommend getting this one on the menu as soon as possible.
Go forth! Stuff All the Things!
Enjoy the Hasselback Stuffed Chicken!
Kirsten Kubert
Hasselback Stuffed Chicken is filled with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, plenty of cheese, and then roasted until tender and bursting with flavor.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 1/2 pounds (6 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 Cup (6.4 ounce jar, drained) finely chopped marinated artichoke hearts
- 1/2 Cup (4 ounces) finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup freshly grated Asiago fresco cheese, divided
- 1/2 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 (1 teaspoon) garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil. Set a wire cooling rack on the foil lined baking sheet; set aside.
- Working width-wise, use a sharp knife to cut each chicken breast with a series of slits, spaced 1/2-inch apart, and going 3/4 of way through the depth of the meat. The slits will act as pockets for the filling. Briefly set the chicken aside while assembling the filling.
- Fold the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 C. of the Asiago cheese, all of the parmesan cheese, garlic, and oregano together in a small bowl to combine. Stuff 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling into each pocket of the chicken, working until each pocket is full and all of the filling has been used. Transfer the stuffed chicken to the rack on the prepared baking sheet. Scatter the remaining 1/4 C. of Asiago cheese over each stuffed chicken breast, and then sprinkle paprika over all.
- Bake the chicken for 30 to 35 minutes or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer.
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