Green Chile Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spicy Cornmeal Pecan Crust is spicy, crunchy, cheesy and easy! It's a great make-ahead dish for any night of the week and dressy enough for guests.
This Green Chile Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spicy Cornmeal Pecan Crust will become one of your go-to recipes for a great weeknight dinner or when you need something unique for guests.
Everyone will love the crunchy, spicy exterior and the creamy, tangy goat cheese and green chile filling. You'll love how easy it is!
How to make Green Chile Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spicy Cornmeal Pecan Crust:
- Butterfly the chicken breasts with a good, sharp boning knife, being careful not to cut or tear through the flesh.
- Combine the filling in a bowl:
- Goat cheese
- Diced green chiles
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Fill the chicken with equal amounts of the filling.
- Secure the chicken breasts with toothpicks.
- Combine the coating in a mini food processor:
- Pecans
- Cornmeal
- Chili Powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Dredge the chicken in the combination, place in a baking dish, spray with cooking spray to keep the nuts from burning and bake.
That's it! Cheesy. Spicy. Crunchy. Easy. Delicious!
Food safety tip!
The safe internal temperature for chicken is 165 degrees.
When cooking stuffed chicken breasts, it's very important to cook the filling to a safe interior temperature of 165 degrees because the filling has been next to raw chicken.
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Green Chile Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cornmeal Pecan Crust
Ingredients
- Canola oil - or olive oil for baking dish
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 log (10-ounce) goat cheese - softened
- 1 can (5.25 ounce) diced green chiles - drained
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro - plus more for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 1 cup ground pecans - (approximately)
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush a baking dish with oil. Set aside.
- Cut horizontally through the center of each chicken breast, creating a pocket, being careful not to cut all the way through at any point. Set aside.
- Combine goat cheese, diced green chiles, garlic, cilantro and salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl.
- Place equal amounts of the filling on each chicken breast, fold over and secure with toothpicks.
- Combine ground pecans, cornmeal, chili powder, red pepper and salt and black pepper, to taste in a bowl or shallow dish such as a pie plate.
- Dredge the chicken breasts in the pecan mixture and place in the baking dish. Spray each chicken breast half with cooking spray.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until cooked through to 165 degrees. Remove toothpicks prior to serving.
- Garnish with additional chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Sue Louis says
This looks like an amazing recipe and I am anxious to try it. I have a question on the recipe, why do you advise "Spray each chicken breast half with cooking spray."? Thank you
Carol says
Hi, Sue, Thanks so much for your question. That is so the pecan and cornmeal mixture stays moist while baking. If you don't care for conventional nonstick cooking sprays, there are more healthful versions available made from grapeseed oil and even coconut oil that don't have additives. If you have an oil sprayer, that should also work. A spray or a spritz is going to give you lighter more even coverage of the coating. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Roseanna says
Have to admit I overlooked the spraying of the chicken breasts. And do think the coating would have been better. Will try it next time. Thx!
Roseanna Capooth says
I recently saw this recipe and I could hardly wait to try it since Hatch chiles were in season and I was eager to use them in a recipe. Plus, we had just returned from Santa Fe, New Mexico where they are so good and in nearly every dish.
I made it for my husband and myself and must say it was just excellent. I found it to be a fairly easy recipe to prepare. I enjoyed hunting for the Hatch Chilis and they roasted easily. You really have a knack for writing recipes.. As I was cooking, it seemed like every time I got stuck and had a question, I'd look at the instructions and you guided me through it. It was like you were beside me cooking. I especially appreciated how you mentioned the removing of the toothpicks because I almost left them in and that could have been disastrous as they do get hidden in this dish after it cooks.
This dish has a most amazing blend of flavors that just come together and delight the palette. We especially loved what the the pecan coating added to the taste of chicken, chilis, garlic and goat cheese. We ate til we were stuffed and enjoyed it so much. And the best part is that afterward, our house smelled heavenly for several hours.. Definitely adding this to my favorite family recipes!! Thank you, Carol ?
Carol says
Thanks, Roseanna! Blushing!
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
Just looking at these is making me hungry. I love chicken stuffed with goat cheese! I haven't tried using green chiles but I am definitely on board with trying it...it looks fantastic!
PS. I have a great mother in law too...she lives next door and she is the BEST! I love it when she shows up with food. She loves to bake and I don't so the kids are happy. 🙂