Looking for a way to make chicken breast exciting again? This Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Breast turns a simple weeknight staple into a gourmet meal. By stuffing the chicken with a savory mix of mild Italian sausage, sharp Asiago, and rich cream cheese, the meat stays incredibly juicy and flavorful while baking to a golden crisp.
Why You'll Love This Stuffed Chicken
- The Creamy Filling: The combination of Asiago and Cream Cheese creates a melt-in-your-mouth filling that keeps the chicken from drying out.
- Packed with Protein: With chicken breast and Italian sausage, this is a hearty, satisfying meal that needs only a simple side salad.
- Looks Gourmet, Easy to Make: It looks like a complex restaurant dish, but the "butterfly and pound" method makes it surprisingly easy to assemble at home.
What Will You Need:
- 2 chicken breasts cut on the bias and pounded thin
- 8 ounces of Italian sausage out of the casing and browned
- ½ cup of asiago cheese
- 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of bread crumbs or panko
- ½ cup of flour
- 1 eg whisked with 2 tablespoons of milk
How to Prepare Chicken for Stuffing
Cutting the chicken on the bias is not difficult at all. This technique is basically butterflying the chicken. After butterflying, just finish cutting all the way through and you end up with two pieces. You then take the two pieces and place them between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizing mallet, pound the chicken so it is thin but not torn. Torn pieces will make it hard to roll or stuff the chicken. Repeat this for all the pieces of chicken you are using.
Browning the Italian Sausage
We usually get sausage from the local store. They make a great Italian sausage! I buy it in the casing and take the meat out of the sausage. Place a tablespoon size piece and place it in a large skillet. Next, flatten it with a spatula so it browns a bit faster. When the sausage starts to become firm, start breaking it up. The smaller pieces will mix better with the cheeses and make it easier to roll or stuff the chicken. There is no reason that you couldn't get bulk sausage if sausage in casing is not available.
Variations on the Italian Stuffed Chicken Recipe
The stuffing only consists of three ingredients: Asiago cheese, cream cheese, and Italian sausage. The asiago cheese can be substituted with mozzarella, the cream cheese with mascarpone, and the sausage can be changed up. You can make this recipe anyway you like but the original is delicious.
FAQ
Yes! You can stuff the chicken ahead of time then refrigerate them until ready to bake. I would bread them at the time of browning. The egg may run and the breading may fall off in the refrigerator.
Mozzarella, provolone, or even parmesan are great substitutes. Mozzarella gives a gooey texture, while parmesan adds a sharper flavor.
Absolutely. Bulk Italian sausage works just as well and can save time since you won’t need to remove the casing.
Slice the chicken breast horizontally (butterfly) and then place between plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to gently pound it thin without tearing.
This recipe would go great with spinach topped with the caesar salad dressing!
For another great stuffed chicken recipe try my chicken stuffed with walnut and spinach.
For more easy weeknight meals, explore all of my dinner recipes!
Recipe
Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Breast (Cheesy & Juicy)
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut on bias and pounded thin
- 8 ounces of Italian sausage taken out of casing and cook until brown and crumbly. Let cool.
- ½ cup of grated Asiago cheese
- 4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of bread crumbs you can use your own or use panko
- ½ cup of flour
- 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons of milk
Method
- Combine sausage, Asiago cheese, and cream cheese in a bowl and mix until combined.
- Place 3-5 tablespoons of the sausage mixture in middle of chicken breast. Roll the chicken breast with mixture and place seam side down on a plate big enough for all four chicken breasts. Repeat stuffing and rolling with with the next three chicken breasts. Be careful not to overstuff the chicken or the stuffing will melt out.
- Now for breading the stuffed chicken breasts. To set up your breading station, place each of the flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. First, place a stuffed chicken breast in the flour and cover well. Shake off any excess flour and dip the flour covered chicken breast in the egg mixture and cover well. Then take the same chicken breast and cover with bread crumbs and place seam side down on a plate. Repeat with the other three breasts
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Melt the two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over a medium heat. Once melted, brown each side of the breaded chicken and then place in an oven proof dish.
- Bake the browned chicken for 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F.
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Key Takeaways
- The Italian stuffed chicken recipe features chicken breasts filled with a flavorful mixture of Italian sausage, asiago cheese, and cream cheese.
- Prepare the chicken by butterflying and pounding it thin for easier stuffing.
- You can substitute asiago cheese with mozzarella or provolone, and use bulk sausage instead of sausage in casing.
- To save time, prepare the stuffed chicken ahead and refrigerate before baking.
- This dish pairs well with spinach and caesar salad dressing for a complete meal.
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