Oven Baked Chicken Breasts (Keto Recipe)
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (7-8 oz wt. each)
- 3/4 tsp table salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
Topping:
- 3 oz wt. chopped fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
- 3 oz wt. cream cheese
- 3/4 oz wt. (about 1/4 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 oz wt.
(about 1/4 cup) finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry packaged) - 1/2 tsp
garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Slice each chicken breast in half, so it’s half as thick as before. The resulting pieces should be no thicker than about 1/2 inch. If moist, pat them dry with paper towels.
- Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread out the chicken pieces in a single layer on the parchment paper.
- Season the chicken with half of the salt and pepper. Flip them and season the other side with the remaining salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a pan on the stovetop, cook spinach until wilted. Separately, microwave cream cheese until very soft and easily mixed, about 20 seconds.
- In a bowl, stir together cooked spinach, softened cream cheese, and all other topping ingredients until well-mixed. Evenly spread the mixture across the tops of the chicken pieces.
- Bake at 425 F until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Let it cool at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.
NUTRITION
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 480 | |
| Total Fat 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat 12g | 60% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 183mg | 61% |
| Sodium 1310mg | 55% |
| Total Carb 9g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 57g |
Tastes Like Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I love stuffed anything — stuffed mushrooms, stuffed cabbage rolls, and stuffed jalapeños, to name a few — and stuffed chicken breasts are no exception. But it’s a time-consuming hassle to stuff chicken breasts, so I don’t make them as often as I’d like.
That’s where this recipe comes in. They taste exactly like spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breasts, minus all the effort. The “stuffing” is just a cheesy topping that you can quickly spread on top of the chicken pieces. It stays on easily, and doesn’t slide off during baking or when you cut the chicken into slices.
This is great if you’re looking for quick and easy weeknight dinner ideas. You can round out a low carb meal by serving them with appetizers like keto friendly garlic knots and biscuits, and with sides like cauliflower mashed “potatoes” or roasted cauliflower florets.
Tips For Baking Chicken Breasts
The key to perfectly baked chicken breasts is timing. When selecting chicken, follow the recipe’s instructions for the proper weight and thickness, which is what the cooking time is based on.
If your chicken breasts are smaller or larger than indicated here, you’ll have to modify the baking time accordingly.
Don’t forget the cooling time. I usually let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes after baking and before cutting into it. This prevents the chicken from releasing liquid, yielding juicier meat.
Another important factor is the oven temperature. I find that hotter temperatures result in more tender and moist chicken breasts compared to lower temperatures — I use 425 F instead of something lower like 350 F.
Loved it! I added red pepper flakes and smothered it in sauteed mushrooms. Amazingly delicious!
Made this today and paired with a big salad. It was enjoyed by everyone!
Made this for my boyfriend he really enjoyed it. Thank you. Now it’s going to be one of our go to recipes.
Absolutely delicious! Can you use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Really good. Thanks. I did not precook the spinach and next time I’ll add a few more sun dried tomatoes just because we like them. This seems to be a pretty forgiving recipe. It cooked up perfectly in exactly 20 minutes.
made this last night, had some chicken breast left over making jerky for the dogs, so simple and fantastic will be sharing this with a friend
I made this today for dinner, it was delicious so easy to make.
We loved this! It’s very easy and quick to make! DELICIOUS!
Super easy and delicious!!!
I subbed a couple of ingredients…
Used instead of dried, I used hydrated sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil, a blotted off excess). For the cheese, I used organic cream cheese, Beechers sharp cheddar and Tillamook sharp cheddar.
I decided to pound my chicken breasts (instead of splitting them). They were large, so I cut them in half.
Baked for 20 minutes to 170° and let rest for 5 minutes.
Served with roasted yams.
Soooo delicious
I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes or Cheddar other than the sliced American cheese from Emborg so I used a slice on each piece of chicken. I did add Parmesan and tossed some carrots. I used bone-in chicken breasts and didn’t bother cutting the chicken so I cooked the chicken first at 180°C for 30 minutes, then added carrots and toppings and cooked it for another 30 minutes. My most picky eater loved the spinach so this is definitely going to be on rotation from now onwards (plus I have used cream cheese and am too lazy to bake anything with it).
This recipe is delicious! It’s so light and easy. I’m making it again tonight!
I loved this dish. I winged it on the measurements. Came out amazing. Highly recommend.
This turn out delicious! Huge hit and will be in rotation. I also just put the uncooked spinach in the mix with great results.
My husband rated this as “good”. He’s not a cream cheese person so I was impressed. He thought the flavor was a little bitter and I did too. However it’s on the keep list. 🙃
Excellent!
This very easy and it tasted fabulous! I will make this many more times!
Anyone ever tried plain Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese?
I’m making this tonight for my family. One issue tho. I couldn’t find “dry packaged” sun dried tomatoes. Only packaged in an oil. I compared the nutritional facts and it’s not far off. Will that be a problem?
I often see the dry packaged ones in or near the produce section in U.S. grocery stores. The oil packaged ones should be fine; I would drain the oil and pat them dry before using.
Oddly, the Dollar Store carries them.
Made this the other day and it was so delicious. It’s actually quite a quick and easy dish to make. Will definitely do this again
I made this with zucchini tonight! Turned out great, I did add more cheese and just a touch more garlic powder! Turned out great though! Picky bf couldn’t even tell it was for Keto!
Hubby loved it. I used chicken breasts and added mushrooms as well. I think zucchini would be a great addition as well. I am not a big chicken lover so to me it was okay. I think next time I would stir in a bit of salsa for a bit more zip!
Absolutely quick to makes& delicious 😋
We had company over last night and I made this. It was a huge hit! The chicken was juicy and the topping was amazing. I didn’t saute the spinach first, I just chopped it and added it to the cheese mixture. I couldn’t find dry sun dried tomatoes so I used ones packed in oil and they worked fine. Next time I think I’ll add some artichokes and bacon. Yum!
Would this be as good on pork chops?
That definitely sounds delicious 🙂
Do you think it will work if I used laughing cow cheese versus cream cheese? Trying to cut the calories! Looks amazing though…I will definitely be making it either way this week!
I made it and loved it! Now I have a delicious Keto recipe for company. I cut up a yellow bell pepper and some fresh mushrooms, brushed them with olive oil and dill, and put them on the parchment paper with the chicken breasts. Wonderful!
I love how you added some veggies — great idea!
Absolutely delicious! This might be my favorite Keto recipe so far. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve gotta try this! Thanks for sharing!
Should you bake it covered with foil or no cover?
No covering needed.
Do you have this recipe for the instant pot?
I don’t. This recipe likely wouldn’t translate easily to pressure cooking.