Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Juicy chicken breasts are stuffed with a broccoli and cheese mixture and air fried until perfection! These Air Fryer stuffed chicken breasts are so flavorful, easy, and done in 15 minutes.
These Air fryer stuffed chicken breasts with broccoli and cheese is a great way to make the chicken breasts a little more interesting. Chicken breasts are butterflied and stuffed with broccoli, cream cheese, and a shredded cheese mixture. The result is a dish that’s full of flavor with cheesy goodness.
This chicken recipe is so simple to make with a few ingredients. Vary the type of cheese or swap the broccoli for spinach to make this dish suit your tastes or what you have on hand.
If you’re looking for a flavorful, delicious and juicy chicken breast in the air fryer you should try this Air Fryer Chicken Breasts recipe. For more Air fryer main dishes, check our Air Fryer Recipe Collection.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Low-carb and keto-friendly healthy recipe
- Well seasoned, flavorful and so delicious
- Cooks in 15 to 20 minutes
- Easy weeknight meal or dinner
Ingredients and Notes
- Chicken Breasts – use skinless, boneless chicken breast. It needs to be large enough to cut deep pockets and stuff the filling inside.
- Olive oil – avocado oil or any cooking oil can be used.
- Broccoli – finely chopped broccoli or use a leafy green like spinach. I like to microwave the broccoli for one minute to partially cook them before stuffing.
- Cream Cheese – this is the base for the filling. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature or in the microwave.
- Shredded Cheese – I used a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Any melty cheese like Colby Jack, Monterey would work. Or you can use all mozzarella cheese.
- Seasoning – Ranch seasoning is used for the filling. As for the seasoning of the chicken breasts, I used a mix of paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and salt.
How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
STEP ONE: Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel. Slightly flatten each breast with a mallet. Butterfly the chicken breast with a sharp knife.
STEP TWO: In a small bowl, mix paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt with oil and rub on the outside of the chicken breast.
STEP THREE: In another bowl, mix the chopped broccoli with softened cream cheese, shredded cheese and ranch seasoning.
STEP FOUR: Stuff each chicken breast with the broccoli cream cheese mixture.
STEP FIVE: Seal the chicken breast with toothpicks so the filling won’t spill out. Some melted cheese with the filling will ooze out but this is to be expected.
STEP SIX: Preheat Air fryer to 375˚F. Place the stuffed chicken breast in the Air fryer and air fry for 15 minutes.
*Air fryers come in different sizes and models, and you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
STEP SEVEN: Check the doneness of the chicken breast with an instant-read thermometer. The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temp of 165˚F.
Carefully remove the stuffed chicken breast from the Air fryer and serve warm with a side dish.
Tips For Making The Best Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken
- Choose a chicken breast large enough to cut pockets.
- Slightly flatten the chicken breast with a mallet so it’s easier to stuff and it cooks fast.
- Seal the chicken breast with toothpicks so the filling won’t spill out.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Or use cooking spray so the chicken will not stick to the basket.
- Use a meat thermometer to check whether the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- If you’re making several batches keep the cooked breasts in a warm oven until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
These stuffed chicken breasts make easy weeknight meals. They have protein and vegetables so you really don’t need to serve anything extra. They’re great for keto and low-carb diets. And they’re naturally gluten-free.
But if you want to serve them on a special occasion or as a part of an elaborate meal, serve them with a salad. Potato wedges would go well as a side dish.
Variations
This dish is very versatile and can include many variations and substitutions.
Don’t substitute chicken breast for chicken thighs as this recipe will not work with them.
Swap broccoli with chopped spinach or any other green vegetable.
As for the cheeses, use a blend that you like. Add parmesan cheese for more flavor.
Swap the ranch seasoning used in the filling for any of your favorite seasoning mix. I keep the seasoning of the chicken breast to the basics but feel free to add onion powder, cayenne pepper for more flavor.
Storing and Reheating
Store– air fried stuffed chicken breasts can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat– they can be reheated in the air fryer at 375˚F for a few minutes until warm. Or if you want to reheat in the oven, warm them at 375˚F for a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. They’ll be great for prepping ahead or meal prep.
If you want to freeze the raw stuffed chicken, wrap them individually in cling film after sealing and store them in the freezer.
For freezing cooked stuffed chicken, place them in an air-tight container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer.
They will last frozen for 3 months.
Yes, you absolutely can.
They need to be cooked a little longer and at a higher temperature than the fresh ones.
Air Fry the frozen stuffed chicken breast at 380˚F for 20 minutes until cooked through.
Alternatively, you can thaw the froen stuffed chicken overnight in the fridge and cook per the recipe.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
- Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
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Recipe
Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Filling
- ½ cup chopped broccoli
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup shredded cheese cheddar and mozzarella
- ¾ tsp ranch seasoning
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel. Slightly flatten each breast with a mallet. Butterfly the chicken breast with a sharp knife.
- In a small bowl, mix paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt with oil and rub on the outside of the chicken breast.
- In another bowl, mix the chopped broccoli with softened cream cheese, shredded cheese and ranch seasoning.
- Stuff each chicken breast with the broccoli cheese filling. Seal the chicken breast with toothpicks so the filling won't spill out. Some melted cheese will ooze out during cooking but it's normal.
- Preheat Air fryer to 375˚F. Place the stuffed chicken breast in the Air fryer and air fry for 15 minutes. Check the doneness using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165˚F.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the Air fryer and serve with a side dish.
Notes
- To cook frozen stuffed chicken, Air fry at 380˚F for 20 minutes or more.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat in the Air fryer until warm through.
- Freeze raw stuffed chicken breast individually wrapped in a cling film in the freezer for 3 months.
- To freeze cooked chicken breast, place them in a freezer bag and freeze for 3 months.
Nutrition
OMG! I made this recipe tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. I am not a fan of chicken but was looking for something different and this fit the bill. My husband raved about it all night long and I couldn’t stop eating it. I baked it for 40 minutes at 400. I will be making this again and again and again. Thank you so much.
That’s awesome, Samantha! This is one of our favorites too.