Grilled Hassleback Fajita Stuffed Chicken is stuffed with bell peppers & onions then topped with tex mex cheese – it's a healthy dinner idea!
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How to make this recipe
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Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil and seasoning and cook in the oven until tender.
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Make horizontal cuts across each chicken breast.
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Marinade chicken with olive oil and taco seasoning.
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Add bell peppers and red onions to all chicken cuts, then cook for 15 minutes.
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Top with cheese, then grill or bake another 5 min until cheese is melted.
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Remove from heat and serve alongside sweet potatoes, topping with optional cilantro, salsa and sour cream.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are commonly used for Hasselback recipes. I highly recommend sticking with chicken breasts.
- Olive oil – sub out olive oil for any neutral oil such as grape seed oil or avocado oil.
- Taco seasoning – store-bought taco or fajita seasoning is easiest, but feel free to make your own taco seasoning from cabinet staple spices.
- Red, yellow and green pepper – use all or only one of each bell pepper colour.
- Red onion – sub in yellow onion or white onion in place of red onion if you're in a pinch.
- Shredded cheese – I use a Tex Mex shredded cheese blend. Feel free to use that or your favourite shredded cheese blend.
- Cilantro (optional for garnish)
- Salsa and sour cream (for serving)
Roasted sweet potatoes (optional side)
- Olive oil – sub out olive oil for any neutral oil such as grape seed oil or avocado oil.
- Sweet potatoes – use russet potatoes or any type of mini potatoes to replace sweet potatoes.
- Chili powder – paprika, crushed chili flakes or cayenne pepper will replace chili powder.
- Paprika – chili powder, cayenne or a cajun spice blend can be used to replace the paprika.
- Garlic powder – garlic salt is a great alternative to garlic powder.
- Salt (to taste)
What is Hasselback chicken?
Hasselback is a cooking method that was traditionally used on potatoes but is now used on so many different meats and veggies – especially chicken! This cooking technique is the act of creating deep slits into chicken without cutting all the way through. Basically creating many layers that can be stuffed! The purpose of these slits is to create visual interest and to add additional flavour.
More side dish suggestions
This Tex Mex inspired chicken goes with just about any side dish! If you're looking for some side dish inspiration, try one or all of these options:
- Homemade fries (with russet potatoes or sweet potatoes)
- A side salad made of greens with a vinaigrette dressing
- Roasted/steamed veggies of choice
- Avocado salad
- Pico de gallo, guacamole, or sour cream
- Refried beans
- Etc.
Storing and reheating
Any leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days! To store, transfer the chicken to a glass meal prep container and allow it to cook down to room temperature before refrigerating.
To reheat the chicken, place it in an oven for 10-15 minutes. If you're in a rush, you can pop it into the microwave for 1-2 minutes. When reheating, I recommend sprinkling some water overtop before reheating. This prevents the chicken from drying out!
Freezing stuffed chicken
Hasselback stuffed chicken is a great dish to make in advance and store in the freezer! Freezing stuffed chicken is versatile because you can freeze it either cooked or raw.
To freeze raw or cooked chicken, make sure to wrap the chicken tight with plastic wrap to keep the toppings in place and then place it into a meal prep container or freezer bag. Cook raw chicken using the instructions provided in the recipe card or reheat the thawed cooked chicken using the reheating instructions above!
Note: for this specific recipe you may not want to freeze any leftovers. Bell peppers lose a lot of their texture after they've been frozen so it may be best to only freeze the chicken prior to being stuffed.
More hasselback chicken recipes
Meal prep tools
- In need of some new grilling gear? I love this BBQ tool set!
- Don't have an outdoor grill? Try this smokeless indoor grill!
- This is my favourite fajita seasoning!
- And of course, I buy all my grass-fed poultry from Butcher Box!
Grilled Hassleback Fajita Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fajita or taco seasoning
- 1/2 each red, yellow and green pepper, very thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use the pre-shredded tex mex kind)
- Cilantro (optional for garnish)
- Salsa and sour cream (for serving)
Roasted sweet potatoes (optional side)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil and spices in a medium-sized ovensafe dish. Roast in oven for 25-30 min until tender.
- Preheat BBQ to med-high, or preheat oven to 450 F. Meanwhile, make horizontal cuts across each chicken breast (see video if you're unsure how!) Rub chicken with olive oil and taco seasoning. Add bell peppers and red onions to each cut, then put each breast on the grill or in the oven.
- Cook chicken for 15 min. Remove and top with cheese, then grill or bake another 5 min until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and serve alongside sweet potatoes, topping with optional cilantro, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Note: nutrition info includes side of sweet potatoes
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Martina says
Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Martina – you could but I’m honestly not sure how to adjust the cook time since thighs are a bit smaller than breasts. It might be the same cook time but you’ll just want to watch that your thighs don’t get overcooked. It might be a bit challenging to also stuff the thighs since breasts are a bit larger but you could try!
Cindy says
This was DELICIOUS!!!! Everybody LOVED it!!!! I added jalapeno cream cheese and plain cream cheese for a spicey and non spicey version with sliced black olives on top instead of the other cheese and sour cream. Will DEFINATELY make this again!!!
Taylor Stinson says
Oooooh I love your add-ins Cindy! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Shannon Sirevaag says
Cindy did you add it during cooking or after?
Kalinda says
I have an electric stand up george foreman grill, will this work on that type of grill?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kalinda! Either the electric grill or oven will work just as well 🙂
Kalinda says
Or could you bake it?
Renee says
That’s what I was wondering. I wish someone would’ve answered you but it’s already been a month since you posted your question.
Taylor Stinson says
This question was answered above – you can bake it or cook on an electric grill. There are instructions in the recipe for baking or for grilling so you can choose which method you’d like.
Jennifer bridge says
I want to leave a picture
Sooooo good
I made it in my toaster oven !!!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you loved it Jennifer!! 🙂
Susan Eales says
Very good and easy. Loved it
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Samantha Crooks says
Added portabello mushrooms, it was AMAZING!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Leslie A Acerra says
I’m not sure why this recipe for Hasselback Grilled Fajita Chicken is 25 carbs. Are you including the sweet potatoes? Or is this for all 4 servings? I’d like to make this disk, but if it’s really 25 carbs per serving, that’s more than my entire day’s allotment. Can you clarify, please?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Leslie – the nutritional info does include the sweet potatoes. If you’re watching carbs I suggest recalculating the nutritional info without the sweet potatoes on an app like Myfitnesspal so you can get an accurate idea of how the chicken fits into your diet.