Thanksgiving Stuffing-Stuffed Chicken Breast Meal Prep

This thanksgiving stuffing-stuffed chicken breast is Thanksgiving dinner and weekday meal prep in the same dish. Juicy chicken breasts get a deep pocket of sage-and-onion stuffing, bake until golden, and slice open to show the stuffing inside — 40g of protein per serving, and it keeps four days in the fridge, so Sunday’s cooking covers the week.

The stuffing is the classic one: bread cubes, celery, onion, sage and chicken stock, bound with a little butter so it holds together inside the breast instead of falling out. Butterfly the breast, fill it generously, and pin it closed — the chicken bastes the stuffing as it bakes, so every slice has the full Thanksgiving flavour in it.

Why you’ll love it

• 40g protein per serving, about 540 calories
• Thanksgiving flavour that doubles as 4 days of meal prep
• One baking dish, 50 minutes, no special equipment
• Slices cleanly, reheats well, and never dries out

Ingredients

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 225g each)
• 3 cups day-old bread cubes (about 150g)
• 1 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped, plus leaves to serve
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 120ml low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Kitchen twine or cocktail sticks, for closing the breasts

Equipment used

• A large baking dish (about 23 x 33 cm), for baking the stuffed breasts
• A large skillet or frying pan, for cooking the stuffing vegetables
• A sharp knife, for butterflying the chicken breasts
• Kitchen twine or cocktail sticks, for pinning the breasts closed

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly grease the baking dish with butter.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, sage and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
3. Tip the bread cubes into a large bowl. Pour over the chicken stock, add the cooked vegetables and the beaten egg, and mix until the stuffing holds together. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Butterfly each chicken breast: slice horizontally almost all the way through, then open it flat like a book. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon a generous quarter of the stuffing onto one half of each breast, fold it closed, and pin with cocktail sticks or tie with kitchen twine.
6. Place the stuffed breasts seam-side down in the baking dish and bake for 28–32 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part and the top is golden.
7. Rest for 5 minutes, remove the sticks or twine, and slice. Serve with the pan juices, or portion into meal prep containers with your choice of sides.

Tips

• Use day-old bread — fresh bread turns soggy. If your bread is fresh, dry the cubes in a low oven for 10 minutes first.
• Don’t overfill. A generous spoonful per breast is enough; too much stuffing squeezes out and burns on the pan.
• Rest before slicing, or the stuffing spills out with the first cut.
• For meal prep, cool completely before boxing. It keeps 4 days in the fridge — reheat covered at 180°C (350°F) for 12 minutes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

These are estimated macros based on standard ingredient values, not lab-measured results.

More high-protein recipes to try

• High Protein Thanksgiving Stuffed Chicken Breast with Cranberry and Spinach
• Healthy Cranberry Sauce Chicken Breast Sheet Pan Dinner
• High Protein Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken Thighs for Thanksgiving

FAQ

Can I use store-bought stuffing mix? Yes — a boxed stuffing mix works fine. Make it with a little less liquid than the packet says, so it stays firm enough to hold inside the breast.

How do I keep the stuffing inside the chicken? Fold the breast closed and pin it with two cocktail sticks, or tie it with kitchen twine. Place the stuffed breasts seam-side down in the dish — gravity does the rest.

Is this thanksgiving stuffing-stuffed chicken breast good for meal prep? Yes. It is built for it: one breast per container, 40g protein, keeps 4 days in the fridge and reheats without drying out. Add roast vegetables or mashed potatoes to the box.

Can I freeze it? Yes. Cool completely, wrap each breast tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat covered until hot through.

Thanksgiving Stuffing-Stuffed Chicken Breast Meal Prep

Sophia Martinez

Juicy chicken breasts stuffed with sage-and-onion stuffing, baked golden. 40g protein — 50 minutes, meal prep friendly.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 540 kcal

Equipment

• A large baking dish (about 23 x 33 cm), for baking the stuffed breasts
• A large skillet or frying pan, for cooking the stuffing vegetables
• A sharp knife, for butterflying the chicken breasts
• Kitchen twine or cocktail sticks, for pinning the breasts closed

Ingredients

  

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 225g each)
• 3 cups day-old bread cubes (about 150g)
• 1 tbsp butter plus extra for greasing
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 2 celery stalks finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped, plus leaves to serve
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 120 ml low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 egg beaten
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Kitchen twine or cocktail sticks for closing the breasts

Instructions

 

• Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly grease the baking dish with butter.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, sage and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
• Tip the bread cubes into a large bowl. Pour over the chicken stock, add the cooked vegetables and the beaten egg, and mix until the stuffing holds together. Season with salt and pepper.
• Butterfly each chicken breast: slice horizontally almost all the way through, then open it flat like a book. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
• Spoon a generous quarter of the stuffing onto one half of each breast, fold it closed, and pin with cocktail sticks or tie with kitchen twine.
• Place the stuffed breasts seam-side down in the baking dish and bake for 28–32 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part and the top is golden.
• Rest for 5 minutes, remove the sticks or twine, and slice. Serve with the pan juices, or portion into meal prep containers with your choice of sides.

Notes

Use day-old bread so the stuffing holds. Rest 5 minutes before slicing. Keeps 4 days refrigerated; freezes up to 2 months.

Keyword dinner, high protein, meal prep, stuffing stuffed chicken breast, thanksgiving

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