Walnut and Spinach Stuffed Chicken with Blue Cheese Sauce

This walnut and spinach stuffed chicken turns a simple weeknight protein into something that looks like real effort went into it. Earthy spinach and crunchy walnuts get rolled inside the chicken, and a creamy blue cheese sauce finishes it off, all in about an hour.

Why You Will Love This Walnut and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

• Impressive but Simple. It looks and tastes like a special occasion dish, but comes together with straightforward steps in about an hour.
• Make Ahead Friendly. Stuff the chicken the night before and store it covered in the fridge, then bake it fresh the day of.
• Great for a Crowd. This scales up easily in a 9x13 pan, which makes it a solid choice for a dinner party or a holiday meal.
• Customizable. Swap the blue cheese for asiago and the walnuts for pistachios if you want a different flavor direction.
• Bonus Recipe Built In. The food processor scraps from making the filling turn into a quick spinach walnut pesto with just a couple more ingredients.

Ingredients for the Spinach and Walnut Chicken with Blue Cheese Sauce

• Walnuts, finely chopped and toasted, add crunch and a rich, slightly bitter contrast to the earthy spinach.
• Spinach forms the bulk of the filling and wilts down into a dense, flavorful base for the walnuts.
• Olive oil is used both for wilting the spinach and for brushing the rolled chicken before baking.
• Chicken breasts, cut on the bias and pounded thin, become the wrapper for the filling once rolled.
• Cream is the base of the sauce, providing the richness that carries the blue cheese flavor.
• Blue cheese melts into the cream to build the sauce, and can be swapped for asiago, goat cheese, or sharp cheddar if you prefer.
• Onion powder and garlic powder season the sauce with a savory backbone.
• Salt and pepper round out both the filling and the sauce to taste.

Making the Best Stuffed Chicken Breast with Blue Cheese Sauce

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, then transfer it to a food processor.
2. Toast the chopped walnuts in the same pan, then add them to the spinach in the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Brush the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in an 8x8 pan. Divide the spinach and walnut mixture evenly among the chicken breasts, roll each one, and place them seam side down in the pan. Brush the tops with olive oil.
4. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
5. While the chicken bakes, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the blue cheese, onion powder, and garlic powder, and stir until the cheese is fully melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips on Making the Spinach and Walnut Stuffed Chicken

• Always place the rolled chicken seam side down in the pan. Seam side up, the filling can leak out and the dish turns into more of a casserole than stuffed chicken.
• Make the sauce with a different cheese, or the filling with a different nut, if blue cheese or walnuts are not your thing. Asiago and pistachios are a good direction to try.
• Save the food processor scraps. A bit of garlic, parmesan, and olive oil pulsed in with what is left over turns into a quick spinach walnut pesto.

Troubleshooting the Spinach and Walnut Stuffed Chicken

• Chicken opened up while baking and the filling leaked out. This almost always means it was placed seam side up. Reroll and place seam side down next time, and consider a toothpick to hold it closed if it keeps happening.
• Sauce turned grainy or separated. This usually means the cream got too hot too quickly before the cheese was added. Keep the heat at medium and stir constantly once the cheese goes in.
• Chicken is still pink in the center after 20 minutes. Every oven and every chicken breast thickness varies, so check with a meat thermometer and give it a few more minutes until it reaches 165 degrees F, rather than relying on time alone.

If you are looking for other stuffed chicken recipes, try my Italian Stuffed Chicken Recipe. Try my city chicken recipe for another easy chicken recipe.

FAQ's

This stuffed chicken earns its place as a go to for company, since it scales up easily for a crowd, holds up well made ahead, and still feels like a special occasion dish even though the actual steps are straightforward. Whether you keep the blue cheese and walnuts or swap in asiago and pistachios, and whether you save the food processor scraps for a bonus pesto or not, this is one that is easy to make your own without losing what makes it work in the first place.

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