It’s hard to beat a juicy chicken breast stuffed with a flavorful cheesy filling. We wanted an easy make-ahead version of this classic, without the fuss of butterflying, pounding, rolling, and tying the chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were a nonstarter; they required too much knife work and didn’t guarantee stellar results. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, on the other hand, proved to be the right choice. To create a pocket for a dollop of our creamy, flavorful filling, all we needed to do was gently separate the skin from the meat. So far, so good except for the flabby, inedible skin we were left with after baking. Cranking the oven up to 450 degrees solved that problem; this round of chicken baked up golden and crispy.
Ingredients
- 4 (10-to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
- Salt and pepper
- 3 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
How to Make It
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Stir goat cheese, cream cheese, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in bowl until combined.
- Using your fingers, carefully loosen center portion of skin covering each breast. Place about 1½ tablespoons cheese mixture under skin, directly on meat in center of each breast half.
- Brush chicken skin with oil, then place breasts skin side up on prepared rack. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
