Chicken Breast and Stuffing Bake is whole chicken breasts in a 9×13 dish, covered with a creamy sauce of cream of chicken soup and sour cream, then topped with broth-moistened stuffing and cubes of butter. There’s no cutting pockets and no chopping the chicken: just layer it and bake at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F. It serves 4.
How to make it: Lay 4 chicken breasts in a greased dish and season them with dried minced onion, garlic powder and pepper. Stir the stuffing mix with chicken broth. Spread a mix of soup and sour cream over the chicken, spoon the stuffing on top and around, dot with butter and bake until a thermometer reads 165°F in the chicken and the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- Whole breasts: no cubing, pounding or stuffing pockets; the chicken goes in as is.
- Ten minutes of prep: season, stir, spread and spoon.
- A creamy sauce: soup and sour cream keep the chicken moist under the stuffing.
- Golden stuffing: butter cubes on top help the stuffing brown in the oven.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: 4 large boneless skinless breasts, about 2 pounds in all. Chicken thighs or tenders work too; check them with a thermometer.
Seasoning: 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper go right on the chicken. There’s no added salt, since the stuffing mix and soup carry plenty.
Stuffing mix: one 6-ounce box of dry stuffing mix, stirred with 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth. Use this amount of broth, not the amount on the box.
Cream of chicken soup and sour cream: 10 ounces of condensed soup (about 1 can) and 1/2 cup sour cream. The sour cream helps keep the chicken tender.
Butter: 4 tablespoons, cubed, scattered over the stuffing so it bakes golden brown.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds in all)
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 ounces stuffing mix (1 box, dry)
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 10 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup (about 1 can)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons butter, cubed
How to Make Chicken Breast and Stuffing Bake
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Season the chicken. Lay the chicken breasts in the dish and season them with the garlic powder, dried minced onion and pepper.
3. Moisten the stuffing. In a medium bowl, stir the dry stuffing mix with the chicken broth and fluff it with a fork. Use the broth amount in this recipe, not the amount on the stuffing box.
4. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir the cream of chicken soup and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Spread it evenly over the chicken.
5. Add the stuffing and butter. Spoon the prepared stuffing over the soup layer and around the chicken, then top it with the cubed butter.
6. Bake until 165°F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 165°F in the chicken and the center of the casserole. Four thin breasts take about 35 minutes and four thick ones about 45. If the stuffing browns too fast, lay foil loosely over the dish.
Topped or Stuffed?
“Chicken breast stuffing” can mean two different dishes. This one is the easy, topped version: the stuffing goes over and around whole breasts, with a creamy sauce in between. Nothing gets cut open.
Stuffed chicken breasts are a separate method. You slit each breast lengthwise about three quarters of the way through to make a pocket, without cutting all the way through, fill it with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of stuffing, then fold it closed and hold it with toothpicks. The common mistakes there are cutting through the breast, overfilling the pocket and using soft sandwich bread, which falls apart. If that’s the dish you want, try broccoli cheddar stuffed chicken breasts.
How to Make Sure the Chicken Is Done
Thick breasts under a layer of stuffing are hard to judge by eye, so don’t guess:
- Use a thermometer. The chicken and the center of the casserole should both read 165°F.
- Watch the thickness. Thin breasts take about 35 minutes, thick ones about 45. Every oven is a little different.
- Even them out. Pound very thick breasts lightly, or slice them smaller, so they cook evenly.
- Protect the stuffing. If it’s browning before the chicken is done, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top.
Variations
- Other soups: cream of mushroom or cream of celery in place of cream of chicken, or 2 cans for extra sauce.
- No canned soup: use homemade cream of chicken soup or a jar of chicken or turkey gravy.
- A one-dish meal: spread frozen green beans or mixed vegetables under the stuffing layer.
- Stuffing add-ins: stir diced celery or dried cranberries into the stuffing, or use homemade or leftover stuffing.
- Broth swaps: chicken stock, vegetable broth or hot water all work to moisten the stuffing.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: Assemble the casserole, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, then bake it later the same day. A cold dish may need a little longer, so go by the thermometer.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Leftovers keep 3 to 4 months frozen, though cream sauces can change texture. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter.
Reheating: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F. In the microwave, cover, rotate the dish and check the temperature in several places.
What to Serve With It
Green beans are the classic side; try smothered green beans, or roast a pan of asparagus and carrots. A spoonful of cranberry sauce on the side works well with the stuffing.
More chicken and stuffing dinners: 4-ingredient slow cooker chicken with stuffing for a hands-off day, and Swiss chicken casserole with a layer of Swiss cheese. For the same creamy sauce without stuffing, make oven baked 3-ingredient creamy chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a simple stuffing for chicken?
For this bake, just stir a 6-ounce box of stuffing mix with 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and fluff it with a fork. From scratch, cook diced celery and onion in butter, stir in dried bread cubes, then moisten with broth.
Can I stuff the chicken breasts instead?
Yes, but it’s a different method: cut a pocket in each breast, fill with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of stuffing, close with toothpicks and bake to 165°F.
What are common mistakes when stuffing chicken?
Cutting all the way through the breast, overfilling it, using soft sandwich bread and guessing doneness instead of using a thermometer.
How long do I bake chicken breasts and stuffing at 375°F?
35 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts, until the chicken reads 165°F.
Can I use frozen chicken breasts?
Cut them into smaller pieces so they cook faster, expect about 1 1/2 times the baking time, and check that they reach 165°F.
Final Notes
Layer it, bake it and check it with a thermometer, and dinner is chicken, sauce and stuffing all from one dish. If you add green beans under the stuffing, tell me in the comments how it went.
Chicken Breast and Stuffing Bake
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Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds in all
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 ounces stuffing mix 1 box, dry
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 10 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup about 1 can
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons butter cubed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- Lay the chicken breasts in the dish and season them with the garlic powder, dried minced onion and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, stir the dry stuffing mix with the chicken broth and fluff it with a fork. Use the broth amount in this recipe, not the amount on the stuffing box.
- In a small bowl, stir the cream of chicken soup and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Spread it evenly over the chicken.
- Spoon the prepared stuffing over the soup layer and around the chicken, then top it with the cubed butter.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 165°F in the chicken and the center of the casserole. Four thin breasts take about 35 minutes and four thick ones about 45. If the stuffing browns too fast, lay foil loosely over the dish.
