Recipe Library
Cream Cheese-&-Pesto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Cream cheese and basil pesto melt into a rich, savory filling inside each chicken breast. A crisp, golden breadcrumb crust seals the juices, delivering tender meat with a bright, herby center in every bite.
- Total
- 42 min
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Serves
- 4
Nutrition per Serving
- Calories
- 249
- Protein
- 30g
- Carbs
- 11g
- Fat
- 9g
- Fiber
- 1g
- Sugar
- 1g
- Sodium
- 220mg
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- Ground pepper to taste
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork.
- Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
- Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees F, about 20 minutes.