Name: Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast with Broccoli and Cheese
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 2 (8 ounce each) boneless skinless chicken breasts; 2 teaspoons oil; 1/4 cup bread crumbs (or ½ cup); ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon onion powder; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; ½ teaspoon salt ((or to taste)); 1/2 ounce cream cheese (softened); ½ cup shredded mozzarella; 1 ounce fontina cheese (equivalent of 2 tablespoons); 1 tablespoon mayonnaise; 1 ½ cups broccoli florets (chopped)

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For busy week nights, Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast with Broccoli and Cheese is so easy to make, with golden crispy breading on the outside and creamy broccoli and cheese filling on the inside.

This easy air fryer stuffed chicken cooks in 15 minutes and ready to serve in less than 30 minutes. It is simple and delicious and it won’t take much of your time to make it.

Food cooks longer in the oven and cooking the same food in the air fryer is quicker like this Air Fryer Frozen Orange Chicken or this Air Fryer Asparagus.

You’ll be amaze how quick this easy chicken recipe cooks in the air fryer. It only requires 2 teaspoons of oil to get the breading crisp while moist and juicy in the inside like this delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can cook this stuffed chicken recipe in the oven like this Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Two cooked air fryer stuffed chicken breast with broccoli and cheese in basket.

I’ll be posting a lot of healthy air fryer recipes in the coming weeks. Don’t we all make it a resolution to eat healthy at the start of the new year. It is so easy to cook healthy foods like vegetables, meat and seafood in an air fryer and easy clean-up too. Maybe we can make it a year long resolution to eat healthy.

It took me a while to get an air fryer because I have a convection oven. This air fryer reminds me of the turbo broiler my mom owned decades ago. It cooked similarly like an air fryer.

For 2-4 people, a 7 quarts air fryer is good enough. I stopped by at Costco to get something and air fryers were on sale. It was a good deal and got the smallest one.

How does an air fryer cook food

An air fryer is like a convention oven, it is equipped with a fan that circulate hot air at high speed to cook food. It is smaller in size and food cooks quicker. It uses less oil but it can crisp and brown food like an oven or a deep fryer but without submerging food in oil.

Before using your air fryer, read the manual. Most air fryers come with a recipe book and they have guidelines for setting temperature and cook time.

From my research, air fryer cooking time vary slightly depending on the brand and model.

I am using a GOURMIA 7-QT/6.7 L Digital Air Fryer.

Ingredients to make stuffed chicken breast with broccoli and cheese.

How to make stuffed chicken breast filled with broccoli and cheese

Thaw frozen chicken overnight in the fridge.
Combine bread crumbs and spices in a shallow bowl or plate. You can prepare this ahead of time if you like. Note: You can reserved ⅛ teaspoon of each spice and apply it in the interior of chicken breast before adding the broccoli filling.
Combine softened cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, Fontina cheese (if shredded), mayonnaise and chopped broccoli. I have a big slice of Fontina cheese that I cut into narrow sticks and did not add to the mixture. Note: You can prepare this ahead of time and refrigerate. Also, you can use your favorite cheese that melts easily.
Make a pocket in the chicken breast. Cut at the rounder edge but not all the way through. If you poke a hole, seal with a toothpick.
Season the inside of chicken with reserved seasonings. I only seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Divide the broccoli filling and stuff both chicken breast. Seal the opening with ½ toothpick in the middle. Note: Remove the toothpick before serving.
Brush one side of chicken breast with oil and dip in breading. Brush the other side with oil before flipping and dipping in breading. Gently shake chicken to remove excess breading.
Place the flat side of breaded chicken breast in air fryer set at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165°F using an instant read thermometer. Flip chicken halfway through cooking and spray lightly with oil. Note: I did not set pre-heat.
As soon as it is done, remove chicken from air fryer basket. Be careful when you pull the basket since it is hot.

Four steps to stuff chicken breast. — Images for steps 4, 5, 6, 7.

Tips for a perfect air fryer stuffed chicken

Use a clean air fryer basket free of residue from previous cooking.
Do not over packed the air fryer basket so chicken cooks evenly. As you can see, two 8 oz boneless chicken breast occupies the whole basket. Note: Cook in batches if your air fryer is small.
Brush chicken with oil before applying breading. This will help crisp and brown the exterior of chicken.
Apply breading evenly. Slightly shake chicken to remove excess breading. I have noticed areas with more breading browned quickly.
Set your air fryer to remind you to flip the chicken. Half way through cooking, flip to the other side then spray it with oil and continue cooking. I sprayed it with olive oil.

Note: My Gourmia manual states, when spraying food for a crispier finish, use regular cooking oil instead of cooking spray, as it can damage the non-stick coating. Also, I used 2 spatula to flip the chicken.

Two raw stuffed chicken breast with broccoli and cheese in an air fryer basket.

Storing and Reheating

Store leftover in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Chicken breast filled with broccoli cheese mixture on a plate with a side of broccoli and sauce.

Can you reheat stuffed chicken in air fryer

With my Gourmia air fryer, they suggest to reheat any food at 300 degrees up to 10 minutes depending on the amount of food. Make sure to do it in time increments. I reheated half of the chicken for 2 minutes. Air fryer was not set to pre-heat.

Can I cook a store-bought frozen stuffed chicken in air fryer

Yes, you can. If chicken is less than 8 oz or smaller, adjust the cooking time.

Note: Please read your manual.

Cooked sliced chicken breast with broccoli cheese filling in a fork.

Pair this chicken recipe with salad

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