Cheesy Chicken Breasts

These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.

Chicken: The recipe uses 2 chicken breasts and cuts them into cutlets. This helps them cook quickly and stay juicy. You can buy cutlets at the grocery store and skip the cutting stage. 
Cream cheese: We love the creaminess this gives the topping; I tried low-fat cream cheese, but the results weren't as good, so I recommend a full-fat cream cheese.
Mozzarella: Perfect for the stringy cheese pull, I use pre-grated cheese for this recipe for ease and speed. But you could grate low-moisture mozzarella or cut it into small dice.
Dried Chives: These add an extra oniony hit to the cheesy topping; you can leave them out if you don't have any.

We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you, have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!

• Get the cream cheese out of the refrigerator for at least an hour before you make this dish. You want it to be really soft so you can easily mix through the other ingredients.
• Before cutting the chicken into cutlets, pat it dry on both sides with kitchen paper. This helps prevent it from slipping about the chopping board, making it easier to cut. 
• When you cut the chicken, hold a large sharp knife parallel to the chopping board and cut through the chicken like you were opening up a book. (See pictures below.)
• When broiling the cheesy topping, watch it carefully. It can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds.

These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.

• Different Cheese: Swap the mozzarella and parmesan for any cheese you love. A blue cheese would be delicious in there, as would a nutty Swiss cheese.
• Add spinach: Add some chopped spinach leaves to the cheese cream cheese mixture.
• Add spice: Mix some chopped jalapenos into the cheese mixture.
• Add bacon: Everything is better with bacon! Add some crispy bacon to the top of your chicken once it is cooked.
• Add Tomato: Nestle the cooked chicken breasts into a pan of marinara sauce before adding the cheese topping to the chicken.

Sides: These cheesy chicken breasts go with so many different sides. The kids love it when I serve them with Garlic Butter Potatoes and Buttered Carrots and Corn. They are also delicious with Crispy Potatoes and a Side Salad.

Wine: There are so many great wine pairings for this cheesy chicken! I love it with a glass of extra cold Gavi or Vionger. And it goes equally well with a lightly oaked Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. If you love red wine, it works well with a warm Gamay or Montepulciano.