Creamy Gouda cheese and sweet apples make these stuffed chicken breasts a winning recipe! Pair with roasted sweet potatoes for a sheet pan supper that will make everyone happy.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It’s delicious, and clean up is easy!
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, oven, sharp knife, mixing bowl
Servings: 4
Sweet apple pairs perfectly with creamy Gouda cheese, stuffed into a tender chicken breast. Sweet potatoes not only add a great pop of color, but thanks to the smoked paprika, they impart a fantastic smoky element that gives depth to the entire meal.
About these Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breasts
This recipe combines two of my favorite things: stuffed chicken + sheet pan dinner.
Stuffed chicken, first. EASY. Looks fancy. Win win. Everyone thinks you’ve created this show-stopping chicken recipe. And you were able to do it with very little effort. What could be better?
Next, sheet pan dinner. My favorite kind of dinner. One pan dirty, one oven temperature, but a complete meal. Check out lots more sheet pan dinner recipes, if you like sheet pan dinners as much as I do.
How to stuff Chicken Breasts
Begin with boneless skinless chicken breasts. Use the sharpest knife you have to slice each piece horizontally, but not all the way through, and open the chicken like a book. This is also called butterflying. Take a look at the photos below for a visual demonstration.
Arrange sliced apples on one half, then Gouda cheese, and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Close the chicken by carefully folding the unstuffed half over the stuffed half. I usually do this whole process right on the sheet pan so you don’t have to transfer the stuffed breast, decreasing the risk of anything falling out.
I like to throw together a quick tossed salad to serve on the side for crisp, fresh green elements.
Enjoy!
PS: Next time, should we add bacon? I think so.
Stuffed chicken tends to be less dry because the stuffing keeps it flavorful and moist. Cook chicken in a fairly hot oven (425°F) until it’s just done. Use an instant read thermometer; for chicken, the internal temp should be 165°F.
I love these butterflied stuffed chicken breasts because both the stuffing and the chicken cook quickly. You won’t have any contamination issues that may occur when you stuff a whole chicken with warm stuffing.
Because the stuffing is enfolded into the chicken breast, there’s no need for toothpicks. If you happen to use too much stuffing, a toothpick will secure the chicken while it bakes but by the time the chicken is cooked, the toothpick can be removed and the chicken will stay together.
Stuff the chicken breasts and store in a covered container in the fridge up to a day ahead. Dice the sweet potatoes, cover with water, and store in the fridge up to a day. Drain well, pat dry, and continue with recipe as directed.
More Stuffed Chicken Recipes
Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For Chicken:
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 10 oz. each)
- 2 ounces Gouda cheese, very thinly sliced
- ½ large apple, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (reserve a few sprigs for garnish)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 large large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a large sheet pan or shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Split each chicken breast across but not through and open like a book (be careful, you can easily cut yourself doing this!). This is also known as butterflying. Refer to the post for photos.
- On one side of the chicken, arrange 7 to 8 thin apple slices followed by 4 to 5 slices of cheese. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fresh thyme. Fold over and drizzle with ½ teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Repeat with second chicken breast.
- Place the chicken breasts on sheet pan and top with another sprig of fresh thyme, if desired.
- In a bowl, mix diced sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves and sea salt until evenly coated. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer around chicken breasts.
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, and stir sweet potatoes.
- Continue to bake until the juices run clear from chicken and internal temperature of chicken registers at 165°F, about 10 additional minutes. Sweet potatoes should be fork tender.
- Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully cut each chicken breast in half vertically to make 4 servings. Serve with sweet potatoes on the side.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Could you use butternut squash instead of potatoes?
Absolutely! Yum!
As a former German, I couldn’t be more stoked to see this recipe. My parents bring suitcases full of Dutch Gouda every time they visit and in between, we stock up at Costco. Wouldn’t want to live in a world without Gouda. Or bacon for that matter. Now some avocado on the side and some chocolate mousse for dessert.
I love that! Loving the side ideas too.
Cooked these tonight and absolutely loved the flavors working together. But found that my chicken seemed over cooked. To the point that I scooped out of the filling and just filled up on the sweet potatoes. Any suggestions? Because really the flavors here were so great and sophisticated.
I would just watch the temperature and if it seems to be overcooking, reduce the cooking time. If you feel like the sweet potatoes won’t get done in that time, you can cut them smaller or give them a head start and add the chicken partway through the cooking. Cooking time really depends on size of the chicken breasts so that could be why yours dried out. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Hi! Just wondering what kind of greens and vinaigrette/dressing you would recommend using with this dish? Thanks!
I would just do a simple green salad with whatever greens and vegetables you have on hand. I love this dressing: https://www.rachelcooks.com/sweet-and-tangy-honey-mustard-vinaigrette/. It’s tangy and flavorful and would be great with this chicken.
Could this dish be made ahead (partial, frozen), etc or best fresh?
This one will be best freshly made.
I have already made this twice and we love it!! I add the other half of the apple and some small onions to the mix and it is so so good! I have also sprinkled a dash or two of nutmeg and cinnamon on top and it really highlights the fall vibe of this meal.
So glad you like it! I love your adaptations — can’t wait to try it that way! I’m all about the fall vibes right now.
OMG this was so delicious! I added a slice of cooked bacon to each breast and then breaded it with panko crumbs sprinkled some paprika on top it was fabulous! A keeper!
So glad you loved it! I love your adaptations :)
Oh my goodness, I made this last night and can not WAIT for the leftovers for dinner this evening! I took your bacon suggestion and added some pancetta…sooooo yummy. Thank you for the recipe!!!!!
SO glad you loved it!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It wowed my MIL (that’s saying a lot!) and my boyfriend ran out of his office to tell me how amazing it was. I did cook some maple bacon and stuffed it after they cooked and made asparagus in the same pan intead of sweet potato. I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for coming back to share your thoughts, it means so much. Craving bacon now…. ;)
Do you think Granny Smith apples would work? We like a more tart apple.
Granny Smith would be perfect for this recipe!