The star of your next holiday meal! These Cranberry Rosemary Stuffed Chicken Breasts will hit the spot this season, and is the perfect festive main dish for those smaller gatherings we will all be having.
With many of us foregoing large holiday dinners this year, I wanted to create something that packs all the holiday flavours we love into one smaller meal that is so much easier to portion. Well, I’ve got it! These stuffed chickens combine delicious cream cheese, fresh herbs, and a homemade cranberry sauce for a simple but refined dinner. I love that these can be assembled ahead to take the stress out of dinner. Because quite frankly I think we’ve all had enough stress for one year!
Cooking For a Smaller Crowd
The beauty of this recipe is its adjustable to how many people you are cooking it for. Whether you are cooking for just yourself or for your entire household, I hope you have fun preparing this flavourful dish.
Another great thing about this dish is it has so much flavour – it only needs a couple simple sides to make it a full meal! Pair it with a Confetti Kale Salad , simple steamed veggies, Maple Hasselback Sweet Potatoes or some Garlicky Kale Mashed Potatoes.
Where to Buy Chicken
I love buying local, and sourced my chicken from TruLocal. They work with local farmers and deliver locally sourced small farm fish, seafood, meat and poultry straight to your door. You can us the code FRAICHELIVING that will give you 4 free salmon filets (2 for the regular box) if you want to try them out.
How to Stuff Chicken Breasts
1. Butterfly each chicken breast by cutting it in half length ways ¾ of the way through (not all the way) to create a pocket!
2. Open up the chicken breast and season all sides of each breast with salt and pepper.
3. Stuff the chicken with your prepared mixture and secure closed with 1-2 toothpicks at the seam. (refrigerate the chicken at this point in a covered dish if not cooking right away)
4. Sear the chicken before baking it. In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the chicken until brown on each side using tongs to flip it. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperate of 165 F, around 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast.
For more, visit this Good Housekeeping blog for images and steps!
Other Recipes with Rosemary
Rosemary is a really fragrant herb, that I love incorporating into my cooking. It pairs well with chicken, mushrooms, roasted vegetables, casseroles, stews and many soups. It’s the true star of my Rosemary Roasted Nuts recipe, and goes great in a parmesan rosemary seasoning for my Crispy Oven Fries!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
‘Tis the season for cranberry sauce! If you’re looking to skip the canned sauce this year, try my easy homemade version instead! This cranberry sauce is also used in my Cranberry Brie Hand Pies! It’s as easy as combining fresh cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water and orange zest together in a saucepan and simmering.
Cranberry Rosemary Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Cranberry Rosemary Stuffed Chicken Breasts
The star of your next holiday meal! This Cranberry Rosemary Stuffed Chicken Breast with cream cheese, will be a new festive favourite.
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Sauce
- 1/2 pound fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
For the Chicken
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra sprigs for garnish
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
For the Cranberry sauce
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Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water and orange zest together in a small saucepan. On low heat, bring to a simmer and cook until the cranberries are soft and broken down and the mixture is thick, about 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the Chicken
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Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Butterfly each chicken breast by cutting it in half length ways ¾ of the way through (not all the way) to create a pocket. Open up the chicken breast and season all sides of each breast with salt and pepper.
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In a medium dish, mix together (recommend using your hands) the crushed garlic, garlic powder, chopped spinach, chopped rosemary, cream cheese and salt and pepper until well combined.
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Divide the filling between the chicken breasts and form the filling into a ball using your hands: stuff each breast with the spinach mixture and secure closed with 1-2 toothpicks at the seam. (refrigerate the chicken at this point in a covered dish if not cooking right away)
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In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the chicken until golden brown on each side using tongs to flip it. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperate of 165 F, around 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast. Prepare the cranberry sauce while the chicken bakes (if not already prepared). Remove the toothpicks from the chicken and serve with your favourite sides and a dollop of cranberry sauce.
Looks fab! Can i sub Rosemary with Thyme you think? Something about the smell of rosemary triggers a nightmare from my serving in fine dining days! I just can’t tolerate it in my kitchen!