Fried Chicken Stuffed 4 Ways: Hawaiian, Spinach And Ricotta, Pepperoni Pizza, And Mediterranean Meatball Fillings

Chicken is America's favorite meat, and we can see why! We love to prepare it in tons of different ways, but one of the tastiest ways to eat chicken has got to be fried! Tender, juicy chicken coated in a crispy, golden brown breading simply can't be beat. Or can it? We've taken the deliciousness of fried chicken and brought it to the next level by stuffing each chicken breast with some of our favorite ingredients. From our Hawaiian filling, complete with ham, pineapple, and cheddar, to our Mediterranean meatball filling with meatballs, feta cheese, and bell pepper, we've got a stuffed fried chicken recipe for everyone! Life is just better with stuffed fried chicken! 

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the chicken breasts:

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the breading station:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 10 whisked eggs for the egg wash
  • 11 cups bread crumbs
  • cooking oil for frying

Here's How:

1. To prepare the chicken breasts, cut each one lengthwise 3 times, stopping before the cuts get to the top. Gently pull the cut segments of chicken apart and season each one with salt & pepper. Line a small baking tray or plate with parchment paper and place the sliced chicken breast on top, then stuff if with 1 of the filling combinations listed below.

1. Cheesy Hawaiian Filling

You'll Need (for 1):

  • 3 slices of ham
  • 3 slices of pineapple, halved
  • 6 slices of cheddar cheese

2. Spinach & Ricotta Filling

You'll Need (for 1):

  • 3 slices of prosciutto
  • ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz spinach, cooked

3. Pepperoni Pizza Filling

You'll Need (for 1):

  • 12 slices of pepperoni 
  • 5 slices of fresh mozzarella, halved
  • 12 slices of tomato

4. Mediterranean Meatball Filling

You'll Need (for 1):

  • 6 slices of feta cheese
  • 6 slices of red bell pepper
  • 5 oz ground beef

2. Once you've stuffed the chicken breasts, gently squeeze them together, transfer them to the freezer, and freeze them for 2 hours. After 2 hours, heat a pot filled with cooking oil on the stove, line a baking tray with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 325°F. Set up your breading station with separate bowls for the flour, whisked eggs for the egg wash, and the bread crumbs. Roll the stuffed chicken breasts in the flour, dredge them in egg wash, and coat them in bread crumbs, then coat them in a second layer of both egg wash and bread crumbs. Press the breading into the surface of the stuffed chicken breasts.

3. Deep fry the stuffed chicken breasts in hot cooking oil for 5 minutes, until golden brown. Place the stuffed fried chicken breasts on the baking tray, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake at 325°F for 10 minutes.

Try out all of these delicious fillings for our stuffed fried chicken and make your chicken dinners truly memorable. We recommend serving this dish with a fresh salad and crispy potato wedges. Fried chicken has definitely just leveled up!

Get the recipe for the Hasselback Fried Chicken Wings featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty