Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast

Name: Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 split chicken breast with ribs removed; 1 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; to taste 7:2:1 or 7:2:2 seasoning

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3.89 from 45 votes

A wonderful crispy roasted chicken breast stuffed with garlic and butter for great moisture and bursting with flavor. This is an economical and easy dinner recipe.

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👨‍🍳How to make garlic butter-stuffed chicken breasts
🐓The Chicken
👨‍🍳The Seasoning
❓FAQs
Serving
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📖 Recipe

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Split chicken breasts are a great everyday meal but can suffer from a lack of taste and are a bit dry at times. Let's fix that.

Combine some fresh garlic with butter, put it in the middle of a chicken breast, and brush the skin with so. Cover with a healthy dose of my All-Purpose Spice Mix and bake until crispy.

With the butter, I feel like Paula Deen. Very yummy ( I swore I would never use that word, but I quoted my wife) with excellent moisture and tenderness.

Check out some other split chicken breast recipes. Stuff them with ham and cheese for this classic Chicken Cordon Bleu. Or try these easy baked recipes Crispy Split Chicken Breasts, Mayonnaise Parmesan Split Chicken Breasts, or BBQ Split Chicken Breasts. Finally, head to the grill with Grilled BBQ Split Chicken Breasts or Crispy Grilled Split Chicken Breasts.

👨‍🍳How to make garlic butter-stuffed chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven.
Trim split chicken breasts of any extra fat and trim off the rib section if desired. —pat dry.
Crush cloves of garlic and cook for 2 minutes in olive oil.
Soften butter in a microwave and mix in the cooked garlic.
Prep a baking pan with aluminum foil and a baking rack sprayed with PAM.
Make the pocket on the side of the chicken breasts.
Add part of the garlic butter mixture to the pockets.
Brush the remaining garlic butter mixture on the skin of the breasts.
Season the top with 7:2:2 seasoning, which has garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Just salt and black pepper or your preferred session are fine.
Bake until internal temp of 165°. It takes about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

🐓The Chicken

This recipe uses split chicken breasts, also known as skin-on bone-in chicken breasts. Most feel they have more taste and moisture than the more popular skinless version. But neither excels in these categories.

But they have become progressively bigger over the last few decades. They are now too big for a reasonable serving size.

The main secret to this recipe is to use smaller breasts and try to cook breasts about the same size.

This was moister than the breasts I have brined, so I do not include a brine option.

👨‍🍳The Seasoning

For the garlic butter, I prefer to use salted butter, not unsalted. Think of it as an internal brining.

The garlic needs to be "bloomed" a bit before using it, or you will have a bit of a raw garlic taste.

I'm using my All Purpose Seasoning 7:2:1 and 7:2:2, which has salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can use the season of your choice.

❓FAQs

Why are skin-on bone-in chicken breasts called split chicken breasts?

They are called split chicken breasts because, during processing, the entire breast is removed with some ribs. It is then "split" down the middle of the breast bone to produce two pieces.

Should the rib section be removed from split chicken breasts?

For most recipes, including this one, it does not need to be removed. But since it contains very little meat, is thin so it tends to overcook and makes the breasts harder to handle and serve. I usually do remove them.

To remove the rib section, use a sharp, heavy knife and just cut it off.

What is the safe internal temperature for split chicken breasts?

All chicken, including split chicken breasts, need to reach 165° internal temperature to be safe to serve. You must use an instant-read thermometer and not guess.

Serving

This chicken goes well with a fresh salad, or fancy it up with Fresh Spinach Salad. Try a potato dish like Roasted Baby Red Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes, or Parmesan Baked Potatoes. And add green beans with almonds, roasted asparagus, or parmesan roasted cauliflower. Finish with Baked Small Apple Crisp or Easy Blueberry Cobbler.

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Chicken Recipes

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven. Trim two split chicken breasts of any extra fat and trim off the rib section if you desire. Pat dry.

Crush two large cloves of garlic and crush. In a small pan, add one tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic and cook until starting to clear — about 2 minutes.

Place 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Add the cooked garlic.

Prep a baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and a baking rack sprayed with PAM. You may cook without a rack if you don't have one.

stuffing chicken breast-cutting a slit, expanding the pocket and adding the stuffing

1) On the thicker side of the chicken breast, cut a 1-inch slot

2) With your finger, create a pocket inside the breast without causing another hole.

3) Reserve about a teaspoon of the butter/garlic mixture, add ½ of the remaining mixture to each pocket, and spread it around the pocket.

Brush the remaining butter mixture on the skin of the breast. Season the top with 7:2:2 seasoning. If you don't have that, then sprinkle of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Bake until internal temp of 165°—about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

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📖 Recipe

Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

A wonderful crispy roasted chicken breast that is moist and bursting with flavor. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.

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3.89 from 45 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1

Servings #/Adjust if desired 2 servings

Ingredients

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven. Trim two split chicken breasts of any extra fat and trim off the rib section if you desire. Pat dry.
Crush two large cloves of garlic and crush. In a small pan, add one tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic and cook until starting to clear — about 2 minutes.
Place 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Add the cooked garlic.
Prep a baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and a baking rack sprayed with PAM. You may cook without a rack if you don't have one.
Make the pocket:
1) In the thicker side of the chicken breast, cut a 1-inch slot
2) With your finger create a pocket inside the breast without causing another hole.
3) Reserve about a teaspoon of the butter/garlic mixture and then add ½ of the remaining mixture to each pocket and spread it around the pocket.
Brush the remaining butter mixture on the skin of the breast. Season the top with 7:2:2 seasoning. If you don't have that, then a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Bake until and internal temp of 165°. About 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips;

An easy recipe to scale up or down. If cooking more than two, arrange on the tray with the thicker end towards the outside.
The main secret to this recipe is to use smaller breasts and try to cook breasts that are about the same size.
I prefer to use salted butter.
A rack is not required but recommended
The garlic needs to be "bloomed" a bit before using it, or you will have a bit of a raw garlic taste.
If browning too much towards the end of cooking, tent lightly with foil like you would a turkey.
Good refigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 431 kcal (22%)Carbohydrates : 1 gProtein : 38 g (76%)Fat : 30 g (46%)Saturated Fat : 12 g (60%)Cholesterol : 146 mg (49%)Sodium : 1377 mg (57%)Potassium : 398 mg (11%)Sugar : 1 g (1%)Vitamin A : 500 IU (10%)Vitamin C : 1 mg (1%)Calcium : 20 mg (2%)Iron : 1 mg (6%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Originally Published: October 15, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast

👨‍🍳How to make garlic butter-stuffed chicken breasts

🐓The Chicken

👨‍🍳The Seasoning

❓FAQs

Serving

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

📖 Recipe