Ham Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This amazing Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast is so delicious and easy! It’s covered in a lemon butter sauce and the result is so tender and moist. It’s the perfect quick and easy dinner recipe your family will love.

Sometimes chicken recipes are hard to add that WOW factor to them, but this Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast does not have that problem. Maybe it’s that buttery lemon sauce that it’s topped with!
This chicken dish is so tender, juicy and flavorful!
The best part is when you try the recipe and it truly is what you expected – AMAZING! This recipe will become a new family favorite and will be added to your favorite recipes. Serve it with a healthy side dish like Roasted Cauliflower or try my amazing Baked Potato recipe!
The ingredients for this wonderful recipe are so basic and most likely are already in your refrigerator and pantry on a regular basis.
This recipe, my friends, is that perfect recipe without limitations, which means – winner! It’s the go-to recipe to make when you have guests over and want to serve something that is impressive, yet doesn’t take hours to prepare. However, it’s also that recipe you are able to make for a simple dinner for your family because it’s so EASY to make.
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe!
Steps to Prepare
- Prep Chicken – Lightly beat chicken breast with meat mallet. Season with salt and pepper. Cut chicken breast to create a pocket. Stuff with cheese and ham, tucking ingredients securely into pocket.
- Saute – Pour olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet to saute. Remove from skillet and transfer to plate. Add butter and garlic to pan and saute for one minute, stirring frequently. Add flour and mix vigorously. Then add chicken broth, lemon juice and lightly season with salt and pepper, while whisking continuously. Simmer until it starts to thicken.
- Bake – Add chicken back into the skillet, pour sauce over it and then cover skillet with foil and bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes.

Expert Tips
- Pick large boneless chicken breasts so they are easier to cut and stuff.
- Sometimes you can get pre-cut chicken breasts at your grocery store.
- Don’t cut your chicken breast all the way through, cut just enough to create a pocket.
- To cut the breasts lay them flat on a cutting board. Then cut a pocked parallel to the cutting board. Make sure it stays connected on three sides. Here’s a great video to watch the shows you how to cut them!
- Seal the pockets with toothpicks to the cheese from oozing out too much, but, DON’T forget to remove the toothpicks! Remove the toothpicks before you add the chicken back to the skillet with the sauce or they will be hard to find afterward. I used about 2 – 3 toothpicks per breast.
- You can use your favorite cheese for the recipe. I used sliced provolone but you can use mozzarella, Colby jack or even something like goat cheese – that’ll give it a totally unique flavor. If using grated cheese, be sure to really secure the pockets of the chicken so the cheese doesn’t ooze out completely.
- Be sure your skillet is hot before adding the chicken, it will gain a golden and crispy finish.
- When baking, don’t overcook the chicken, it will not taste as juicy. Since you are searing it before baking it, the bake time isn’t long. Test the internal temp should be 165°F once cooked.
- If you don’t have an oven safe skillet remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer to oven safe casserole dish to finish baking it in the oven.
- You can use your favorite ham. (I used off-the-bone ham.).
I hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe with your family and it becomes a regular around your dinner table. Dinner time is the best place to make wonderful memories!
How long does it take the chicken to cook?
You will first cook the chicken for six minutes on each side over medium high heat in a skillet.
After that you will finish cooking it by baking it in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked through.
What should the internal temperature chicken?
The internal temperature of the chicken breast will be 165 degrees F when it is cooked through.

Finish the Meal!
- You can never go wrong with buttery mashed potatoes with any meal!
- This delicious Broccoli Casserole has the best topping and is quick and easy.
- Need a lighter side dish? Try these easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 lb ham sliced
- 8 slices cheese halved
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Sauce
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 c. chicken broth
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp lemon juice fresh
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F at step 5.
- Lightly beat chicken breast with a meat mallet. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Create opening in chicken to create a pocket. Add two halves of cheese, ham and two more halved slices, tucking ingredients into the pocket. Gently secure with toothpicks.
- Heat oil over medium heat in large oven safe skillet . Carefully add chicken and cook 6 minutes on both sides (until chicken is golden and crispy). Remove chicken.
- In the same skillet, add butter and garlic. Saute for a minute, stirring frequently. Add flour, mix vigorously. Add chicken broth, lemon juice and lightly season with salt and pepper, while whisking continuously. Simmer another minute until sauce begins to thicken.
- Add chicken back to the skillet. Pour sauce over chicken.
- Cover skillet with foil and bake 15-20 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
Tips
- Pick large boneless chicken breasts so they are easier to cut and stuff.
- Sometimes you can get pre-cut chicken breasts at your grocery store.
- Don’t cut your chicken breast all the way through, cut just enough to create a pocket.
- To cut the breasts lay them flat on a cutting board. Then cut a pocked parallel to the cutting board. Make sure it stays connected on three sides. Here’s a great video to watch the shows you how to cut them!
- Seal the pockets with toothpicks to the cheese from oozing out too much, but, DON’T forget to remove the toothpicks! Remove the toothpicks before you add the chicken back to the skillet with the sauce or they will be hard to find afterward. I used about 2 – 3 toothpicks per breast.
- You can use your favorite cheese for the recipe. I used sliced provolone but you can use mozzarella, Colby jack or even something like goat cheese – that’ll give it a totally unique flavor. If using grated cheese, be sure to really secure the pockets of the chicken so the cheese doesn’t ooze out completely.
- Be sure your skillet is hot before adding the chicken, it will gain a golden and crispy finish.
- When baking, don’t overcook the chicken, it will not taste as juicy. Since you are searing it before baking it, the bake time isn’t long. Test the internal temp should be 165°F once cooked.
- You can use your favorite ham. (I used off-the-bone ham.).
South says
Just made this tonight. It was delicious and the family loved it. I highly recommend it.
1. I thought the sauce was good, and a nice compliment to the chicken. Yes, the sauce did separate in the pan in the oven, however after plating the chicken, a few quick swirls with a spoon brought them back together quickly and it was drizzled on top of each piece. I also titled the pan (after removing the chicken) to get rid of any extra oil / butter floating on top, to have a reduced version of the sauce if that makes any sense.
2. A few observations / comments include: I think I over cooked the chicken a bit. It was pretty much done in the pan, so maybe I could have just put it in the oven for less time like five minutes, or perhaps I should have lowered the temp on my stove during the browning phase and then kept it in the oven for fifteen minutes, but regardless I need to adjust my cooking time / temp so it’s not overcooked.
3. I didn’t have toothpicks, but didn’t need them. I placed the chicken gently in the pan, then used two spatulas to roll them over without anything coming out.
4. It’s easier to make than it looks.
Julie says
Thanks for the review! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this!
Bruce says
Recipe was OK, but I have had more flavourful butter sauces. Sauce separated in oven. Technique for stuffing chicken breast was good
Julie says
Thanks for letting me know, glad you enjoyed the chicken!
Samantha says
I cooked this for dinner tonight exactly as the recipe says and let me tell you it was a big hit! My cheese of choice was cheddar & My family loved it! I will definitely be making this delicious chicken again. Thank you!
Julie says
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved it!
Tom regal says
Just made this, just as you said, juic very good.
Julie says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Andrea Koehntop says
Hey Julie! This sounds delicious and I have all the ingredients in my house right now to make this.
Do you think it would be good in an Instapot or AirFryer? I think everything could be done in the insta pot, but with an airfryer I would obviously have to do the first steps on the stovetop.
Thanks!
Julie says
Hi Andrea! I haven’t tried this one with either the air fryer or the Instant Pot. I think the Instant Pot would be a better option so you can also cook the chicken in the sauce but since I haven’t tested it, I’m not sure about the times!
GRIESY ALMIEDA says
The best chicken ever
Julie says
Thank you! I’m so glad you loved it!
Mel says
Can I cover it on the stove and continue cooking?
Julie says
I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure how that would turn out!
Emma says
I made this last night and I have to say… Yum!
Except I used the the round bits from the bacon in place of ham (what we’d call shortcut bacon in Australia), and fried the fatty tails of the bacon in my cast iron first, then cooked the chicken in bacon fat instead of olive oil. Left the bacon pieces in the sauce.
I’m sure it’s healthy in some sense 😂
Julie says
You cannot go wrong with bacon, that sounds like a delicious twist!
KHise says
I made this last night and it was delicious. My whole family loved it. This one is a keeper.
Julie says
So happy it was a hit with the whole family! Thank you for the review and rating!
Luis says
What if I don’t have any lemon juice ? 🙁
Julie says
It should be okay to go without it if need be.
Antonia M Vargas says
What kind of cheese did u used?
Julie says
I used sliced provolone but you can use any kind of cheese you like.
AAHM says
I made this with ham and Swiss – and I changed up the sauce a tiny bit by adding shallots and de-glazing the pan with a little bit of white wine before adding the butter and garlic. SO GOOD!
Julie says
Glad you enjoyed it!
John says
This chicken is so good. We added about a tablespoon of capers to the sauce to add some visual texture. We will definitely be making it again.
Julie says
Thanks for trying it out! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jo says
Hey Julie, been looking for a stuffed chicken recipe calls & I think I found it… this one!!! Will be making it soon & will send comment,too!! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes,meal planning and helps. You’re the best! Jo D.
Julie says
No problem, glad you enjoy my recipes! Let me know how this one turns out!
Krissie Bushman says
We loved the flavor and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. My sauce separated when I cooked it and it was very buttery. I don’t know what I did wrong. Any suggestions to keep the sauce creamy?