Feta and spinach stuffed chicken recipe

Our feta and spinach stuffed chicken delivers a delicious taste of the Mediterranean and the kids will be impressed when they slice open the chicken to discover the cheesy, green filling. 

We have served the chicken with a Greek-inspired salad but you can swap it for chips, rice, or roast veggies if you prefer. When the spinach mixture is cool enough to handle, you can let the kids stuff the chicken breasts and seal them with a cocktail stick. Check they are properly sealed before cooking. Kids can also help prep and chop all the salad ingredients. 

Ingredients

• 2tsp olive oil
• 2tbsp frozen or fresh shallot, chopped
• 1tsp fresh oregano leaves, or dried
• 250g spinach
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1⁄2 lemon
• Splash white wine or sherry

For the salad:

• 1⁄2 cucumber, deseeded and sliced
• 400g tomatoes, sliced
• 1 large roasted red pepper, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves roughly torn
• 50g Kalamata olives
• 2tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallot. Cook for 2 mins until soft, then add the oregano; cook for 1 min. Stir in the spinach, season, then cook until wilted and the liquid has evaporated.
2. Mix in the feta, then take off the heat.
3. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, Gas 6). On one side of each chicken breast, make a deep incision to make a pocket. Stuff the spinach mix inside then secure with a metal skewer or two cocktail sticks.
4. Put the chicken in a roasting tin, brush with a little oil, squeeze over the lemon and add the wine and a splash of water. Add a generous grind of black pepper, then cook for 20-25 mins until the skin is crisp and the meat is cooked.
5. Meanwhile, mix the salad ingredients in a serving bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with the chicken.

Top tips for making our feta and spinach stuffed chicken

You can make this meal more substantial by serving with chips or toasted pitta bread. If you fancy having a sauce with it, tzatziki would be a nice choice or hummus would work well too.

Jessica Ransom

“I personally love crispy chicken skin but if you want to make the meal a little healthier, or don’t like the texture of chicken skin, feel free to use skinless breasts instead. You could also make the recipe using boneless thighs but you’ll probably want two to three thighs per person depending on how big they are.”

Cook chicken with confidence by using a meat thermometer. You can make sure it’s cooked through and avoid overcooked, dry meat.

Thermapen® Classic - Orange - View at Thermapen

Food writer Jessica Ransom has had a Thermapen for years and says: “I never cook chicken or steak without it. I love the reassurance that my meat is cooked to my liking and means I don’t have to cut into it and ruin the presentation before serving.”  

For something even cheesier, try this Taleggio stuffed chicken. Our stuffed chicken with Parma ham is a great date-night option or Mary Berry’s stuffed chicken breasts have a mixture of cream cheese and herbs inside.