Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast Rolls:
Juicy, tender chicken stuffed with creamy ricotta and sharp cheddar cheeses, and broccoli, then breaded with panko to create a fantastic crisp exterior.
Serve this with rice pilaf, an Italian garden salad, and peach pie for dessert!
Chicken broccoli anything is probably one of my kiddos favorite meals. They love chicken broccoli casserole too. And I can’t complain either. Especially when it comes to this broccoli cheese stuffed chicken breast, it is pretty tasty, and very easy to make.
It checks all the boxes because it can also be made ahead and frozen so you can pull one out of the freezer as you need it.
What is a chicken roll?
A chicken roll is like a chicken cordon bleu, or a stuffed chicken breast. It is where you have a piece of chicken, and you roll or stuff some kind of filling inside of it. The filling can be vegetables, cheeses, a combination of the two, or even another type of meat, like bacon or ham.
Often the exterior of the chicken will then be breaded so you get a crispy brown exterior along with the juicy interior.
For these Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Rolls, the chicken breast is stuffed with a combination of two cheeses: Ricotta and Cheddar! And then broccoli for a flavorful combo that is classic and delicious.
What part of the chicken is best for making chicken rolls?
The chicken breast or thighs is best for making chicken rolls. The breasts are usually bigger, which means you can work with them better. And add more stuffing. But the thighs are usually juicier. So it kind of depends on what you like.
For this recipe we used the chicken breasts!
How do you flatten chicken?
When it comes to stuffing the chicken breasts you have a couple of options.
- Pound or flatten the chicken. To flatten the chicken, or pound it, you will want to take your chicken breast and put it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Then use a meat mallet (or meat tenderizer) to pound the chicken out so it is larger, and all an even thickness throughout. You would then put the filling on the center and roll the chicken up and secure the edges with toothpicks.
- Cut a pocket into the chicken and stuff the pocket. This is the less messy way since you don’t need toothpicks etc. but you can’t use as much filling. And the chicken won’t be an even thickness throughout, which means it may take longer to cook. But overall, way easier and looks better too/
Once you have your chicken stuffed, it is time to dredge it in eggs and then panko so you get that beautiful breading.
I found it was a bit tricky to dip the chicken into the egg mixture without some of the filling falling out, so after a few I gave up, and just brushed them with the egg mixture and pressed the Panko into the chicken.
It stayed on pretty well because I had not patted my chicken dry, so feel free to do it this way if you run into trouble.
I also opted to freeze them before breading and baking them, as I figured it would be easier to dip them in egg from frozen. It worked well, and then I was able to pop them back in the freezer to give the coating a chance to freeze. This was more time consuming, but great for planning ahead.
Tips for Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Rolls
- Cook with a meat thermometer to 165 degrees so your chicken cooks through but doesn’t end up too dried out.
- Don’t over stuff the chicken. If you want more of the filling, you can use it as a sauce as well.
- If you want a nice crisp Panko that browns well, try spraying a bit of cooking spray on it just prior to baking.
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
Filling
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup frozen broccoli floret pieces
- 1/4 c ricotta cheese
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
Chicken coating
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tsp mustard
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Mix salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning together.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the chicken breast.
- Season the chicken by sprinkling with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix broccoli, sharp cheddar, and cream cheese or ricotta with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Put a spoonful of the cheese mixture into the pocket you created in the chicken breast
- Secure with toothpicks, set aside
- In a separate bowl, use beaters to whip eggs into a froth with mustard.
- Dip chicken rolls into the egg mixture
- Roll in Panko until fully coated
- Place in a baking dish, and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked, internal temp is 165 degrees.
- Remove from oven, and let rest 5 minutes. If panko is not browned, turn on to broil for a few minutes until panko is golden brown.
- Remove toothpicks and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Allyson Zea says
This chicken was a hit with my picky family! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Charity says
Made these for dinner last night and they got rave reviews. Thanks!
Toni says
This was a huge hit! My husband and kids loved it!
Sarah Skaggs says
Holy yum! This is one of our favorite dinners!
Eden says
This reminds me of an old school recipe my grandmother used to make. It’s so good!!! Thank you for sharing!
Jocelyn says
This is fantastic! It will definitely be in our meal rotation!
Mm says
Is the bake time the same after freezing? Thanks!
Rachael says
If you defrost fully. If not, add time.
Grace says
Making this tonight! Cant wait. Do you cook the frozen broccoli before using it or just let it thaw?
Rachael says
Just let it thaw