This Hasselback Fajita Stuffed Chicken recipe is filled with bell peppers, taco seasoning and Tex Mex cheese – it’s a healthy dinner idea!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken breasts are best for Hasselback recipes. I highly recommend sticking with chicken breasts, since thighs would be hard to stuff.
- Olive oil – sub out olive oil for any neutral oil such as grapeseed oil or avocado oil.
- Taco seasoning – store-bought taco or fajita seasoning is easiest, but feel free to make your own using pantry staple spices.
- Red, yellow and green pepper – use all or only one of each bell pepper colour.
- Red onion – you can use white or yellow onion in a pinch.
- Shredded cheese – I use a Tex Mex shredded cheese blend but feel free to use your favourite shredded cheese instead.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
- Salsa and sour cream – for serving.
Roasted sweet potatoes
- Olive oil – see substitution notes above.
- Sweet potatoes – use russet potatoes or any type of mini potatoes to replace sweet potatoes.
- Chili powder – paprika, crushed chili flakes or cayenne pepper are good substitutes here.
- Paprika – chili powder, cayenne or a Cajun spice blend would all work.
- Garlic powder – garlic salt is a great alternative to garlic powder.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make stuffed chicken
- Roast the sweet potatoes.
- Cut and stuff the chicken breasts.
- Cook or grill the chicken.
- Top with cheese and cook until melted.
- Serve with the sweet potatoes and enjoy!
More side dish ideas
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
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
I find the Hasselback method is the easiest way to stuff chicken. Since you’re making slits in the chicken instead of opening it like an envelope, you don’t have to worry about the chicken coming apart and all the toppings falling out.
This stuffed chicken is ready in a flash. You only need to cook it for 15 minutes before topping with the cheese, then bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Storing and reheating
Any leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge for 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 at 450° Fahrenheit. If you're in a rush, you can pop it into the microwave for 1-2 minutes. When reheating, I recommend sprinkling some water over top before reheating to prevent the chicken from drying out.
Freezing stuffed chicken
Hasselback stuffed chicken is a great dish to make in advance and store in the freezer! It’s super versatile and you can freeze it either raw or cooked.
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.
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More hasselback chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- 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.
Hasselback Fajita Stuffed Chicken {BBQ + Oven}
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!
Comments & Reviews
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.
Samantha Crooks says
Added portabello mushrooms, it was AMAZING!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Susan Eales says
Very good and easy. Loved it
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed 🙂
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!! 🙂
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.
Kalinda says
Or could you bake it?
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 🙂
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?
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!