Description

This Garlic Butter Mushroom Stuffed Chicken is a delicious and comforting dish featuring tender chicken breasts filled with sautéed garlic mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, then seared and baked to perfection. Finished with an optional creamy parmesan sauce, it’s a flavorful meal perfect for dinner served alongside pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Mushroom Stuffing

4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces brown mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 pinch pepper, to taste

For the Chicken

4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 pinch salt, to season
1 pinch pepper, to season
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
8 slices mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, large minced or finely chopped

For the Optional Cream Sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups half and half (or reduced fat cream or evaporated milk)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 pinch pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons water – optional for thicker sauce)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 200°C (400°F) to prepare for baking the chicken after searing.
Prepare Mushroom Mixture: Melt butter in a large oven-proof pan or skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft. Remove from heat and let cool.
Season Chicken: Pat the chicken breasts dry using paper towels. Season evenly on all sides with salt, pepper, onion powder, and dried parsley, ensuring full coating.
Create Chicken Pockets: Carefully slice a horizontal slit into the thickest part of each chicken breast to form a pocket without cutting through.
Stuff Chicken: Place 2 slices of mozzarella cheese inside each chicken pocket. Divide the cooled mushroom mixture equally among the breasts, stuffing into the pockets. Top each with 1 tablespoon of fresh grated parmesan cheese. Secure the opening with 2 to 3 toothpicks to keep the filling inside during cooking.
Sear Chicken: Using the same skillet with leftover mushroom juices, add chicken breasts and sear over medium heat until golden brown on one side. Flip and sear the other side until golden.
Bake Chicken: Cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil, then place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through and no longer pink inside.
Serve Chicken: Remove chicken from oven and serve with pan juices and any remaining mushrooms on top of your choice of pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables.
Prepare Optional Cream Sauce: Transfer chicken to a warm plate and keep all pan juices in the skillet. Sauté the remaining garlic in the pan juices over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add Dijon mustard and half and half (or cream).
Simmer Sauce: Bring sauce to a gentle simmer, then add any leftover mushrooms and grated parmesan cheese. Allow sauce to simmer until cheese slightly melts. If the sauce is too thin, stir in the cornstarch and water mixture quickly to thicken immediately.
Finish Sauce and Serve: Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste, stir in fresh parsley, then return the chicken to the pan to coat and heat through before serving.

Notes

Ensure the chicken breasts are thick enough to create a pocket for stuffing; if very thin, consider butterfly slicing thicker pieces or using tenders.
Use toothpicks to securely close the chicken breasts to prevent filling from spilling during cooking.
The optional creamy sauce adds a rich flavor but can be omitted for a lighter dish.
Leftover mushroom mixture and pan juices add great flavor to the sauce and the final dish, so don’t discard them.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: garlic butter chicken, stuffed chicken breast, mushroom stuffed chicken, baked chicken breast, cheesy stuffed chicken