This Italian stuffed chicken cacciatore has chicken breast lightly stuffed with spinach and Parmesan cheese and is baked in a garlic, onion, and tomato marinara sauce. Serve chicken breast Cacciatore over pasta.
This stuffed chicken breast cacciatore recipe generally pleases every family member, regardless of age.
Variations On Stuffed Chicken Breast Cacciatore
The chicken breast can be dredged in flour or panko for a more traditional dish, but I prefer the lightness of this chicken cacciatore dish without any breading.
Lookin' for a low carb cacciatore? Switch out the pasta for spiralized zucchini noodles or zoodles.
If you are not watching calories add some more olive oil to the sauce for additional flavor and texture.
Trying to get rid of that extra red wine that's been sitting around? Add it to the sauce and cook it down with the sauce.
Looking for a chicken thigh version of Chicken Cacciatore? Check out my Chicken Thigh Cacciatore made by slow cooking chicken thighs in Italian marinara.
Things In My Kitchen:
- 3 quart baking dish to bake the chicken & sauce.
- Spiralizer - Lighten up this dish with some zucchini noodles instead of pasta.
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Stuffed Chicken Cacciatore
EatSimpleFood.com
This Italian stuffed chicken cacciatore has chicken breast lightly stuffed with spinach and Parmesan cheese and is baked in a garlic, onion, and tomato marinara sauce. Serve chicken breast Cacciatore over pasta.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop / Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Ingredients Chicken:
- 6 chicken breasts, butterflied
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 6 ounces (6 cups) spinach
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt
- black pepper
- 12 small or 6 large slices fresh Mozzarella - as garnish
Ingredients Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (any combo of basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, etc...)
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade as garnish
- 16 ounces (1 lb) pasta, or zucchini noodles or gluten free pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Butterfly chicken breasts (some stores will do this for you at the meat counter) and set aside. Butterflying is cutting the piece of meat in half but leaving the end portion uncut (making it look like an open book). Check out Eat Simple Food’s video showing you how to butterfly chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and set aside open faced.
For Stuffing:
- Bring a medium sized pan to medium high heat and add olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the chopped onions and cook ~ 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add spinach and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until wilted.
- Spoon inside the butterflied chicken and lightly fold over. You will not need string or toothpicks to hold this together - just a gentle touch.
For Sauce:
- Bring a medium sized pan to medium high heat and add olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the chopped onions and cook ~ 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add minced garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and seasoning.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered on low for ~ 20 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning, salt, and pepper as desired.
- Transfer the sauce to a large baking dish and place the chicken on top of the sauce.
- Top chicken with fresh Mozzarella slices.
- Bake for ~25-30 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165F and juices run clear. The sauce should be hot and bubbling. Turn the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes (watching carefully) if your cheese is not browning.
- Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook ~ 10-12 minutes or until desired doneness.
- Serve over spaghetti and garnish with basil. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- If you are not watching calories add some more olive oil to the sauce for additional flavor.
- Trying to get rid of that extra red wine that's been sitting around? Add it to the sauce and cook it down with the sauce.
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Serving Suggestion
Serve this Stuffed Chicken Cacciatore dish with a complementary recipe like a salad or a steamed artichoke appetizer. Or throw down and pair it with homemade Gnocchi!
Great ideas -thank you!