This 20 minute AIR FRYER STUFFED CHICKEN is filled with a creamy mixture of spinach, cream cheese, and garlic. This is a restaurant quality recipe that comes together in minutes.
In our house, chicken is definitely the go to protein. Everyone loves it, it’s readily available, and it’s infinitely adaptable.
We absolutely love chicken the air fryer and I just knew that stuffed chicken in the air fryer would be fantastic too!
We stuffed these chicken breasts with a quick mixture consisting of cream cheese, spinach, and a few other goodies. It’s basically spinach dip in a chicken!
The best part is that using the air fryer cooks the chicken evenly while keeping the chicken tender and juicy.
Serve this with our air fryer asparagus and a side salad for a simple, low carb, healthy dinner.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless breasts are perfect here.
Olive Oil
Seasonings – Paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt make the perfect chicken seasoning.
Cream Cheese
Shredded Parmesan
Mayonnaise – You won’t be able to taste the mayo, it just adds to the creamy filling.
Baby Spinach – We prefer fresh spinach here. If using frozen, thaw and drain really well.
Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes – These are optional, but they help balance out the rich filling.
How to make air fried stuffed chicken:
Prepare the chicken- Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast. Do this by placing your hand on top of the chicken to hold it in place. Use your other hand to carefully cut into the side of the chicken, almost like you’re butterflying the chicken. Don’t cut all the way through. Watch our recipe video to see just how easy this is!
Season- Drizzle oil over both sides of the chicken. In a small bowl, stir together paprika, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle this seasoning blend over both sides of the chicken.
Prepare the filling- Get a small bowl and mix together cream cheese, shredded Parmesan, mayo, spinach, garlic, red pepper, and salt. Use a spoon to stuff the mixture into the pockets of the prepared chicken.
Cook it- Brush oil or spritz oil into your air fryer basket. Place the chicken breasts in your air fryer spaced evenly apart. Cook at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Always check the center of your chicken to be sure it is at least 165 degrees in the center before serving. For this recipe, make sure your thermometer is in the meat and not in the filling.
Serving Suggestions:
Our air fryer stuffed chicken tastes like it came straight from a nice restaurant. We like to serve it with a side of potatoes and a veggie. Here are a few of our favorites:
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes:
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets
- Hot Cheeto Chicken
Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast.
- Drizzle both sides of the chicken with oil.
- Add the paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to a small bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the chicken.
- Add cream cheese, Parmesan, mayonnaise, spinach, garlic, red pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Stuff the mixture into each chicken breast.
- Place the chicken breasts in a greased air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer. Keep cooked chicken in a low oven, covered in foil, while the next batch cooks.
- Air fry at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest portion of the chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
JlD says
awesome! Had that chicken breast with a split on one side. Saved some large spinach leaves and “lined” it. Also line the opening with spinach leaves. Baked on small piece of parchment paper. No leakage of stuffing. Phenomenal recipe. Good flavor – nice presentation. thank you
Karly says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!
sarah grace foor says
Fabulous Recipe. Thank you so much! My picky teen loved it. I also added Mozzarella cheese to the recipe.
Sam says
OMG SOOO GOOOD! I made the stuffing as written but used smoked paprika on the outside of the chicken breasts (as that’s what we had). Served with caesar salad and a glass of wine – absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
Karly says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the review!
Denise says
I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious!! 5 stars for sure. I thought it would be good because I like spinach and sour cream. I tweeked the recipe a little, I used mozzarella cheese and added mushrooms. Definitely a keeper!!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’m sure it was good with mozzarella and mushrooms, too. 🙂
Karly says
Hi Amy,
The serving size is meant to be 1/4 of the recipe as the yield states 4 and the serving size states 1. I’m unable to do a fraction in our recipe card and it auto populates the gram. Sorry if you find that confusing.
Carly says
I didn’t have all the same ingredients. So I used your recipe as a guide. I used broccoli instead of spinach and cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan cheese. I only used a little bit of mayonnaise because I didn’t have cream cheese. I cut a pocket at the top of the breast and made a hollow space. I stuffed the mixture downwards into the breasts instead of cutting the breast open from the side. This eliminated the need for toothpicks. I also covered the chicken breast in olive oil and lightly breaded each side with Italian bread crumbs. I set my air fryer to 400 degrees and cooked about 30 minutes, flipping the breast halfway thru. It was very moist and delicious. I will definitely make it again. My husband loved it. Thanks so much for the idea!!! From one Karly to Another!
Karly says
Hi Carly! Your stuffed chicken sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing the changes – I’m sure others will want to try that too. 🙂
Sarah Mansker says
I tried this recipe last night and was I ever blown away! Not only was the apearance awesome, but it was so juicy! Will definitely make this a go to recipe!
Chani says
Amazing! I’ve been looking everywhere for a air fryer recipe similar to the restaurants I’ve been to. And this might be even better! Thanks so much
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the review! 🙂
J Scott Berry says
HI – I’m a pretty new to cooking and making nice meals. I was able to follow this very well and it was delicious – I especially love the kick/spice that it has. Do you have tips for making it “look better”? I want to serve for a dinner that I am having and of course, want it to look nice. My “stuffing” all came oozing out during cooking and I had plenty of chicken with no stuffing. I didn’t cut the breast all the way through. Thanks for any advice.
Karly says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the dish! Make sure you’re really stuffing the filling in there and that the pocket you cut is deep enough. Other than that, you can try closing it with toothpicks, though I’ve really never needed to do that myself.
J Scott Berry says
Thank you for your prompt reply – I have one more question. Could these be prepared in advance, like 24 hours or less, kept in the fridge until ready to air fry? I don’t see any reason why not – but it’s your recipe.
Karly says
Yep, that should work fine! 🙂
Paulette Clark says
Looks so good. I would have used broccoli!
Chad Campbell says
Thanks Paulette! That is a great idea!
Heather Walls says
Was 1650 a typo for what the internal temp on the chicken needs to be? Did you mean 165?
Karly says
Haha, yes. Definitely should be 165 degrees. 🙂
Vicky D Miller says
This is a question. I love mushrooms and I want to stuff my chicken breast with mushrooms and cheese and cook them I my air fryer. Tell me what to do . Please. I just bought mine and have no idea how to use it. I have the Power XL Fryer Combo. Would appreciate your help!!!! Thanks so much. 😊
Karly says
Hi Vicky! I’m afraid I don’t have a recipe for mushroom stuffed chicken, but I’m sure there is one out there. You could follow that recipe and just cook in the air fryer according to these instructions and things should be fine. 🙂
Debbie says
Just substitute mushrooms with the spinach, use the recipie as a guidline and put in whatever. I never truly follow recipes
Maureen Davenport says
Looking for a quick and new chicken recipe made this and it was so easy and So good. It came out just like the picture, didn’t have to change anything. It has a mild but flavorful taste and will be my go to for the coming summer meals. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed it, Maureen!
Marilyn Van Hook says
I’m not finding the video?
Karly says
Hi Marilyn! It should start playing as soon as you scroll on by it and then follow you down the page. Either way, it’s up towards the top under the first photo and says “Watch the recipe video” just above it.
Marilyn Van Hook says
Hi Karly. Thank you for the super fast response!!! Hmmm…on my computer under the second picture and “How to make air fried stuffed chicken: Prepare the chicken-” I do see “Watch the recipe video” but it has no hyperlink. I went back and accessed your post on my phone instead and there it is at the top of the page??? Maybe it’s a quirk with my browser? I am using Brave. Anyway – got it now and thank you for your help. Can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
Karly says
Glad you found it, Marilyn!
Terrie Falkenstein says
Been making this in the oven the past year so look forward to doing it in the air fryer. Not heating up the house with the oven will be great this summer. This is such a tasty and simple recipe and turns out a dinner special enough for guests. In fact, I served it for Christmas dinner last year.
Karly says
Oh, I love to hear that! Thanks, Terrie! 🙂