Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Posted: 03/07/2016
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Creamy Gouda cheese and sweet apples make these stuffed chicken breasts a winning recipe! Pair with smoky 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
Table of Contents
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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.
We’re in the middle of a bathroom remodel right now (our master bathroom), which is exciting and exhausting. If I had endless money, I would have hired a designer. Making all the decisions about tile, paint, countertop, flooring, trim, hardware…
I seriously feel like my head is spinning! Thankfully, we have very patient contractors.
I tested this recipe on a day that Ben had a late night at work so instead of letting this chicken go to waste, I tested it out on our contractors who answered my 20 questions about the flavor combinations when they were finished eating.
Just kidding, I kept it to one or two questions.
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. This salad with apples and cucumber is a good match, too.
Enjoy!
PS: Next time, should we add bacon? I think so.
Used in this recipe
FAQs
How do I cook chicken breast without drying it out?
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.
Can you stuff raw chicken?
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.
How do you stuff chicken breast without toothpicks?
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.
Make Ahead Tips
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 breasts
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Kale and Feta Stuffed Chicken
- Fajita Stuffed Chicken
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast Stuffed with Avocado and Cheddar
- Hasselback Stuffed Chicken with Spinach and Artichoke
- Lazy Baked Greek Chicken
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Creamy Gouda cheese and sweet apples make these stuffed chicken breasts a winner! Pair with smoky roasted sweet potatoes for a sheet pan supper that will make everyone happy.
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.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 318kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 857mg, Potassium: 844mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 24402IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 161mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Laura S says
One of my favorite recipes! It’s so easy and adaptable (I’ll usually use whatever cheese we have if we don’t have gouda) and tastes fancy despite it using just a few simple ingredients we always have around.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy you like this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a coment!
Joyce says
I was not a fan at all. Chicken tasted so plain and dry without a bite of cheese/apple with it.
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear this one wasn’t a hit for you!
Scott David says
Delicious, Today served to my family member all of them said to make it again. Thank You
Cheers
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you all liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Pat says
It’s a perfect fall meal! I added a little honey to the sweet potatoes but followed the rest of the recipe exactly! Delicious!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! I bet the honey was delicious!
Victoria Marie Clary says
I was very disappointed. The chicken was dry and bland. I added raisins and cashews to the stuffing, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The chicken breasts I used were very plump, but still came out so dry. I am retired and live on my Social Security, so I am very careful about how I spend my money. I wasted money on electricity and ingredients.
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear you didn’t like this recipe! It’s such a popular one!
jackie johnson says
i thought this was very tasty and would make again
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked this recipe!
Rachel says
This recipe didn’t come out as good as I thought it would. The chicken was bland, I barely tasted the apples and cheese, I added bacon but that didn’t help, and the sweet potatoes tasted a little off with paprika and salt. It was a weird, bland combination of flavors. Will not remake.
Rachel Gurk says
Sorry to hear that…so many folks love this one!
Kelly Douglas says
Made this for my husband tonight. Told me I need to make this again! I have a son who is celiac. This would be perfect for him! Thanks again!
Rachel Gurk says
Oh that makes me so happy! So glad you liked these – thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Coralie says
I appreciated the concept of using only one pan—it allowed some of the flavours from the sweet potato marinade to run into the chicken. But unfortunately, the chicken itself was very bland. I was skeptical that the chicken wasn’t seasoned overnight, or brined, or marinated, but I figured that the gouda should transfer enough flavour. It didn’t.
This recipes wasn’t inedible, but it wasn’t delicious either. But because I like the concept, I think I’ll try it again with a stronger cheese, a marinade or brine, and a bolder type of apple—or a very bold pear.
Lon K says
Hi,
I made the chicken breast alone. I sauteed two slices of bacon and then sauteed 2 tablespoons of minced shallots. I crumbled the bacon and shallots and added them to the filling. I thought the flavor was pretty good, though next time I think I’ll try a half teaspoon of thyme and back off the shallots to a tablespoon.
Cooking time was another matter. Chicken breasts are pretty easy to overcook. If I had checked the temperature of the breasts at 20 minutes, I might have been okay, but I waited until 30 minutes. The breasts were then 189 F and dry. My oven is pretty accurate. The recipe might be modified to check the chicken earlier. This would save cooks whose ovens may be over temperature.
I often wrap chicken breasts in parchment and cook them at 400 F, an approach I found on a Kitchn website. Serious Eats has an interesting discussion regarding the safety of cooking plain chicken breasts to 140 F. Given this, another angle I’m considering is cooking stuffed breasts sous vide. America’s Test Kitchen has a more involved procedure for creating sturdy chicken breast wraps secured with twine that I might try. The first step would be sous vide cooking, followed by skillet browning.
Rachel Gurk says
The size of chicken breasts varies greatly, so it’s possible you had smaller cuts than I did.
Zarah says
I made this for my picky-eater husband and we both loved it! It’s easy, the flavors are perfect, and it’s filling. I made quinoa as well, but it was totally unnecessary. This recipe is fast to assemble and cooks up easily.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment – it means so much to me!
Deb says
Just made this – the sweet potatoes needed around 40 minutes and I’m not sure if my chicken breasts were too small but they were very dry after cooking the same amount of time. If I were to make again, I would put the potatoes in about 10 minutes before the chicken and perhaps make a bit of a sauce for them because of how dry they were. Flavours were great though!
Rachel Gurk says
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s hard because it all depends on the size of the chicken breasts as well as how large you cut your potatoes. In addition, oven temperatures can vary a bit! Thanks for leaving your feedback. :)
Randee says
Making this tonight. So excited to try it. Made it pretty close to the recipe, but also added some crumbled gorgonzola to the gouda and apples for an extra strength in flavor. Excited to see how it turns out. :) Thank you for the recipe!!!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you loved it! I bet it was great with gorgonzola!
Kayty Ogren says
It was so good! I cooked it in a dish by itself and made a tray of butternut squash fries to go with it. Will definitely make again!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know. :)
PS: I looooove butternut squash fries! Do you get the ones from Trader Joes? I roast them with cinnamon, salt, and a little cayenne – so good!
Kayty Ogren says
Actually, I cut up and made my own. I just like salt and a little pepper on them. I love their flavor (I am a big fan of everything squash tho). Planning to make this chicken again this week.
Rachel Gurk says
Perfect! So glad you like it enough to make it again!
Kayty Ogren says
Haven’t made the recipe yet but definitely want to try. If I can’t find Gouda, is there an acceptable replacement cheese?
Kayty Ogren says
Also, can I use rosemary instead of thyme? Not really a fan of thyme and have a rosemary plant in my garden that I hardly ever use so always looking for an excuse. Lol.
Rachel Gurk says
Cheddar would be good, or Muenster. Havarti might be yummy too! I think rosemary would be good on this — just in a small amount as it tends to overpower dishes. (I never use the rosemary in my garden, either!) I hope you love this recipe!
Kayty Ogren says
Trying it tonight and will let you know! I was able to find Gouda at a different store from my usual. $4.50 and I’m going to have to find recipes to use it all.
Rachel Gurk says
Maybe you’ll end up making this recipe multiple times. ;) Gouda is great on sandwiches too!
Kayty Ogren says
Probably! I wanna make it again but use more cheese. And I think you’re right, this would be good with bacon in it.