And here you have it, my most lovely internet friends. I know you have been searching far and wide for it. And because I love you so very much, I will give it to you:
The most delicious, flavorful, mouthwatering piece of chicken that has ever been eaten.
The search for this chicken breast has potentially been a harrowing one, filled with many-a-night of dry, rubbery, bland chicken that had your family secretly wishing you had bought that Stouffer’s lasagna you were eyeing in the frozen section. Your search may have included many different attempts of cooking methods – pan searing, roasting, crock-potting. But FRET NOT, for I am now delivering to you the golden recipe of chicken breasts that will make your search and many, many nights of bland, dry chicken worth while.
What, may you ask, makes these chicken breasts so special? First of all, we use the chicken cooking method to end all chicken cooking methods, which I wrote about in this post. (Recap: a hard sear for 3 minutes on each side and then 8-10 minutes in a 425 degree oven.) Second of all, the filling. Ahhhh, the filling. Can I even describe its deliciousness in actual words? It is creamy, gooey, melty, sweet from the corn, packs a light heat from the Jalapeño, and finishes with a subtle herb flavor from the basil.
This chicken. This filling. It is the most boss thing ever. It’s my new favorite chicken. This used to be my favorite chicken, but this recipe piggy backs off of that one because we use the same method and just stuff it with cheesy, creamy goodness.
The filling is just too good for words. You’ve gotta try it and see for yourself. But wait, doesn’t it run all over your plate when you cut into it since it’s so melty and gooey after baking in the oven? TOTES. But you roll with it. A lot of it will ooze out onto your plate as you’re cutting your chicken breasts, but it’s still very easy to eat and almost turns into a “sauce” that coats the chicken. You scoop some-o-dat goodness onto your fork with each chicken bite, swirl it all around in your sauce, and experience pure chicken heaven. And while the chicken is cooking, the filling just melts into the meat and adds so much flavor and moisture. It’s for real the juiciest chicken you’ll ever eat.
I’m laaaaaaaaagit obsessed.
Have you guys watched Stranger Things season 2 yet?? I’m honestly surprised I haven’t already violently binged the whole thing based on how much I loved the first season. My husband has seen a few episodes and has been trying to get me to watch it so we can talk about it, but I haven’t seen any yet.
The reason being the following: Netflix keeps removing some of my favorite shows, so I feel the strong need to binge them before they are removed. Currently the show How I Met Your Mother falls into that category. Netflix is removing it in mid November, so I’ve gotta have one last hurrah!
Do you have any of those shows that are “rewatchers” for you? Where you could see them over and over again, and they are almost nostalgic and homey for you? I have several, and they are all of a similar type for some reason: Friends, Parks and Rec, The Office (this is prob my biggest one), New Girl, and How I Met Your Mother. My husband would tell you that I am not a big fan of change, so I really like to just watch the same shows over and over again – it drives him crazy sometimes 😬🙃.
But this time it’s for good reason since they’re pulling it off Netflix!! I’ll watch Stranger Things 2 once that happens. And you should too – that show be craayyyyy.
This recipe is 10 smart points per serving!
PrintCheesy Pepper Jack Corn Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 5 basil leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
- In a small bowl, mix your filling ingredients together (jalapeno, cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, corn, basil, and garlic powder) and season to taste with salt and pepper
- Using a small knife, cut your chicken breasts so there is a deep pocket in the middle (as deep as you can get without piercing through the back or edges of the chicken breasts!)
- Spoon an even amount of filling into each chicken breast, pushing it as far back and into the pocket as you can
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper
- Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in an oven safe skillet over medium high heat (a cast iron pan works great here). Let the pan get very hot before adding your chicken
- Cook the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side to get a hard sear, and then move the pan to the oven and let the chicken breasts bake for 8 minutes
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken cool for a few minutes – you can spoon some of the filling that melted out back into the chicken breasts, but some oozing is unavoidable
- Top with extra basil (optional) when serving!
Notes
When you cut into these chicken breasts while eating them, the filling will definitely run out a bit since it’s so melty (and yummy). It’s still easy to eat, just use it kind of like a sauce at that point and scoop it up with your chicken!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 374 G
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 341 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 46 g
- Cholesterol: 129 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy chicken recipes? Check these out:
The Trick to THE Juiciest Chicken Breasts
Finally got to making this. It was awesome. My husband said it’s a keeper.
★★★★★
Is there a substitue for coconut oil? I dislike the smell since I was a child and got a wif of it and threw up while walking by a spilled bag on the floor.
Hey Beth. You can definitely use any type of other oil here! Olive oil will work just fine, and canola or vegetable oil would work too if you don’t have olive oil!
This looks amazing. anything else I could substitute for basil? Or should I just leave it out. Not my favorite herb 😞
Hey Nicole! Yep, just leave that basil out. It will still be absolutely delicious 😀!