Chorizo Chile Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Chorizo Chile Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast is one of those very special dinners that make you glad you took the extra effort. Chicken breasts are stuffed with browned chorizo, diced Hatch chile peppers and Mexican melting cheese, then rolled and coated in a Panko bread crumb and chili powder mixture. Then baked, the result is divine for any Southwestern food lover.

It’s been years since I’ve served stuffed  chicken breast. I guess for the reason that it’s an annoying and somewhat tedious proposition. Pounding the chicken breasts thin, followed by the task of rolling them up without everything falling out.

This past Saturday we went to friends Kathy and Tom’s house for dinner. She prepared an absolutely gorgeous stuffed chicken breast dinner, a recipe from Giada, Antipasti Stuffed Chicken Breast. It was so delicious that I was totally inspired to stuff some chicken at home.

Making the decision to lean toward a Southwestern version, I decided chorizo, chili and cheese sounded like a good place to start.

How to Stuff Chicken Breasts:

I did not follow Giada’s instructions for stuffing, but went with the way I was accustomed to, which is pounding the chicken breasts as thin as I could get them. I used a meat mallet and and use the side which had smaller spikes.

• I’ve seen many instructions to place chicken breasts in between two sheets of waxed paper. I’m not a fan of this method as it seems the paper alway tears and grinds into the meat. I like using a sturdy gallon-sized unsealed zip lock bag. No reason to wallop it to death, just hit it until the thicker end starts to flatten. You can also use a rolling pin to gently encourage an even piece of meat. Or grab a sauce pan, the bottom flat surface works like a charm.
• Once the chicken breasts are even, place the chicken on a flat surface, a cutting board is good, and take a scoop of filling and place in the middle of the breast. With your hand, press the filling onto the breast so it forms a more solid mass. Starting at the tapered end of the breast roll as tightly as you can. Roll in the butter and the breading and immediately place seam side down in the baking dish you are going to use. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
• I’ve seen many recipes that use kitchen twine to hold the chicken together or even a long wooden pick. I’ve never done this, but I’m sure it’s a good idea if you have stuffing ingredients that stubbornly won’t  press together easily.
• For the recipe I mentioned above, Giada lays the stuffing on one side of the chicken and folds the breast in half. Either way, the key to keeping all that flavor inside of the chicken is to compress the filling onto the chicken with your hand before rolling or folding.
• You can also simply make a slit in the side of each unflattened chicken breast and push filling into the chicken that way. I’ve never done it, but don’t know why it wouldn’t be an easy solution…but without such a dramatic rolled layers visual for your finished product.

Recipe for Chorizo Chile Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts:

This recipe is full of wonderful Southwestern flavor. Combining chili powder and cumin with Panko bread crumbs makes for a colorful and spicy coating. The chorizo, Hatch chile peppers and Mexican melting cheese bring the dish together for a cheesy texture and Fiesta themed dish. But the true star is the addition of this beautiful recipe for Homemade Enchilada Sauce. It brings everything together for one big wow.

I used chicken breast halves for this recipe. A full chicken breast, rarely seen at the grocery store, would include the two halves connected by a breast bone. You’ll usually find chicken breast halves packaged either bone-in and skin-on or boneless and skinless.

I hope you give this Chorizo Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite baked stuffed chicken breast recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

And if you’re as inspired as I am to find more easy stuffed chicken breast recipes, take a look at some I found from my friends:

• Pecan Crusted, Bleu Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Chicken Breast, from Trish over at Mom on Timeout
• Creamy Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken, from Valerie at Valerie’s Kitchen
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast Stuffed With Avocado and Cheddar, from Rachel at Rachel Cooks
• Chicken Galliano, Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto and topped with a Galliano Sauce, one of our recipes.

And if you’re looking for more Mexican Chicken Recipes:

• One Pan Crispy Chicken Thighs in Tomatillo Wine Sauce
• Chicken in Tangy Escabeche
• Ancho Chile Lime Chicken Kabobs
• Hatch Green Chile Chicken Burgers
• Spicy Mexican Chicken Zarape
• Arroz con Pollo, Mexican Chicken and Rice