Stuffed Chicken Breast with Asparagus, Mozzarella and Parmesan
Chicken breast is one of the most popular healthy foods in the world, partly because it is so low in fat but also because it cooks up quickly and can have a ton of flavor and juiciness when prepared correctly. This recipe is a surefire way to add extra flavor to the meat by stuffing it with 2 types of cheese, seasoning and asparagus. This combination is amazing and will surely make you forget that you are eating healthy.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Foil Trays
- Large Baking Sheet or BBQ Tray
Ingredients
- 4 each Chicken Breasts
- ¼ cup Fergolicious BBQ Sweet Luv Rub
- 1 bunch Asparagus
- 1 block Mozarella Cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ cup Yonedas Chicken and Rib BBQ Sauce
Instructions
Make your Mise En Place
- Preheat the Smoker to 350 degreesYou are going to want to create a Mise en Place, which is French for “everything in it’s place”. When you are working to tie up or pin butterflied chicken breasts, you want to avoid touching anything else in the kitchen to keep it sanitary and not wash your hands a thousand times. I like to pre-trim my asparagus, lay out enough toothpicks (3 per chicken breast) or twine pre-trimmed. Pre slice the mozzarella into strips for each breast as well as layout the parmesan cheese.
Stuffing the chicken
- First thing you want to do is grab a slicing knife and slice down the middle of the chicken breast making sure not to go all the way through. You are basically looking to create a pocket where you can tuck in the cheese and asparagus. Slice all the chicken breasts and set aside. When I did this, I removed the chicken tenders and cooked them separately for the kids. Once all the chicken is sliced, season it all over including inside the pocket with the Fergolicious Sweet Luv Rub. Next you are going to put 2 sprigs of asparagus and both types of cheese inside the cavity, then roll it closed. Using 3 toothpicks or the twine, secure the breast so that all the ingredients don’t fall out.
Get Your Grill On!
- The next step is to grill the chicken breast at 350-400 degrees until the outside has a little bit of char on it. Make sure you keep the opening for the cavity pointing upwards, otherwise as the cheese melts it could just run all over the grill. Once you have char marks on the outside of the chicken, transfer it to a foil tray, also opening side up to finish the cooking process. The tray will act to hold all the ingredients together while also promoting even cooking across the whole breast.
Checking for doneness
- Using an internal temperature probe, check the chicken in multiple locations to check to see if they are done. You are safe to eat them when the internal temperature reads 165 degrees at the lowest point, make sure you are checking the meat temperature and not the fillings which can get hotter much faster.
Painting with sauce and resting
- Apply an even coat of you Need a BBQ Chicken and Rib Sauce to the chicken breast and then cover in foil and let rest for at least 5 minutes. This will give the chicken a chance to reabsorb any additional juices in the bottom of the pan and the sauce to be set by the carryover heat from the chicken. Serve with one of our amazing BBQ sides for an amazing meal.
Step by Step
- Preheat Smoker to 350 Degrees
- Prepare your station with all ingredients prepped for wrapping the chicken
- Slice chicken breast in half, making sure not to go all the way through
- Season the chicken all over with Fergolicious Sweet LUV rub
- Place 2 asparagus and some of the parmesan and mozzarella into the cavity of the breast
- Tie the chicken shut or secure with toothpicks and set aside
- Grill the chicken until you have grill marks all over, make sure not to cook it with the opening down
- Place the chicken in a foil tray with the opening facing up and continue smoking until internal temperature is 165 degrees F
- Glaze with you Need a BBQ Chicken and Rib Sauce
- Let rest for 5 minutes and serve!
Notes
How do you butterfly a Chicken breast?
Grab the chicken breast and remove the chicken tender, which is the little flap of meat on the bottom. Next take the breast with the fattest side on the left-hand side (assuming you are right-handed) and a slicing knife. Being careful to not slice your hand, place the knife on the thinnest part of the breast and slice it length wise, cutting from right to left until you are 80% of the way through. Make sure not to go all the way through the breast, otherwise your ingredients can just fall right out.What type of chicken do you recommend?
Whether you are buying frozen chicken breasts, free run chicken breasts, free range chicken breasts, organic chicken breasts or the value pack from your local supermarket, they will all do just fine for this recipe. Because you are adding so much additional flavors with the cheese and asparagus, I don’t think you need to worry so much about the quality of the chicken. If you buy frozen chicken breasts, please let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight before doing this recipe.What if I am Gluten Free?
All the ingredients in this recipe are gluten free! The chicken, the seasonings, the sauce, and the asparagus are completely gluten free, s if you are celiac or need to prepare a delicious gluten free meal for a friend of family then this is the recipe for you.Can this recipe be prepared in advance?
This is a great recipe for if you are having company, because the chicken can be prepped and tied up a few hours before your party up to the day before. You do not have to do all of the meal prep right at dinner time. I like to prep this a few hours ahead of time to let the seasoning penetrate the meat and then put it back in the fridge, so the cheese gets nice and cold and holds its form better once it hits the grill.Can this be made on a propane or natural gas grill?
Yes, you can make this recipe (or any of our recipes on a regular grill, or even in the oven. Smokers are a great way to add flavor to your meat, but they are not essential to many of our recipes. Just think of smoke as one of the many ingredients that we add to our food, you can leave any ingredient out and it will taste different (arguably not as good), but it can still be done. Keep practicing on your BBQ or in your oven and save your pennies to get that smoker one day soon.What internal temperature does chicken breast need to be cooked too?
Chicken breast needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees when checked with an internal temperature probe. On this recipe it is important to make sure you are not checking the temperature of the cheese in the middle, make sure that the probe is in the meat. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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