This recipe for easy taco crusted cheese stuffed chicken breasts is flavorful dish that the whole family will love. This kid-friendly, low carb dinner is filled with delicious melted cheese and crusted with crispy taco-flavored breading. This easy recipe is suitable for those following a low-carb, Keto, Banting, Atkins, or gluten-free diet.
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The Inspiration for Taco Crusted Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Eating low carb or keto doesn’t mean that your food has to be flavorless or bland. In fact, this recipe is the exact opposite of this!
This kid-friendly chicken breast recipe is a flavorful crispy chicken breast filled with warm cheesy goodness spilling out of the top. This recipe satisfies all those fried chicken cravings and tastes just a delicious as the real thing.
Sometimes plain chicken breasts with a little seasoning can get mundane after a while. These Taco-Crusted Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts are the product of my attempt to spice up the plain chicken breast with a Mexican-inspired twist.
I wanted to make a flavorful cheesy dish that the whole family would love. While it tastes so delicious, it’s actually very easy to make yourself!
How to Stuff Taco Crusted Chicken Breasts
To stuff chicken breasts, you first need to create a pocket within the chicken breast. While there are range of ways to do this, I start out with a single incision down the middle of the breast long-ways. I prefer this method for this recipe because it helps prevent the cheese from completely spilling out of the breast while baking. When making this incision, be careful to not cut fully through the chicken breast. It should only go about 1/2 of the way through.
Next, on the base of the incision (1/2 of the way through the breast), begin t0 cut to the right toward the edges of the chicken breast (Refer to the process photo as needed). Try to cut close to the edge of the chicken breast to make the cavity as large as possible without cutting through to the edges of the breast. Then repeat this same process to the left.
Once the pocket is created, you can then stuff it with the cheese. I like to use a block of cheese and then shave off pieces to fit in the breast’s pocket. Shredded cheese can also be used to stuff the chicken breast.
Once you’ve filled each breast with cheese, you have to secure the opening closed so that the cheese doesn’t melt out while baking. To hold it together, you can use cooking string or toothpicks without any dyes or plastic attached. Be sure to remove those toothpicks before serving so no one breaks a tooth!
How to Bread Taco Crusted Stuffed Chicken Breasts (gluten-free)
Although we’re often told to avoid breaded foods if following a low-carb or gluten-free diet, it’s surprisingly simple to make low-carb and gluten-free variations at home.
In higher carb recipes, bread crumbs are often used to create a crispy breading. Breadcrumbs can easily be substituted by using a flour alternative and a powdered hard cheese like parmesan.
To help the breading stick to the chicken, first create an egg mixture. Next, dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture until it is fully coated. Finally, dip the chicken breast in the breading mixture and make sure that all sides of the breast are breaded evenly.
How to get crispy chicken in the oven
To get crispy breaded chicken, there are a few easy tricks to achieve perfectly crispy chicken every time. Firstly, make sure to place the chicken on a raised surface with plenty of space between each piece.
If you find that you still don’t have the crispiness that you’re looking for, you can turn on the broil setting on your oven for the last 1-3 minutes of baking. This will create extra crispiness, especially on the top. Be sure to keep a close eye on the chicken when using the broil setting as it can burn quickly.
How to tell when chicken breasts are done
The most surefire way to tell if chicken is properly cooked is by checking the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. When inserting the thermometer into the thickest section of the chicken breast, the temperature should reach at least 165º Fahrenheit.
If the chicken breasts range in size, you may need to remove the smaller ones earlier as they will cook faster. Lastly, be careful to not overcook chicken as it can quickly become dry and tough.
What to Serve with Mexican Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Depending on the spice level of the taco seasoning used in this breading, this dish might offer just a little spice. Typically, I like to match a spicy dish with a cooler sauce.
For this recipe, we paired these taco-crusted chicken breasts with our Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe. I found that the flavors of the chicken and sauce worked seamlessly together. On top of that, it was a super quick and easy dipping sauce to whip together while the chicken was baking.
You could also serve these chicken breasts with some sour cream, guacamole, or salsa. Of course, with breading and a cheese filling, this chicken is already bursting with flavors and still very delicious on its own.
For side dishes, this recipe pairs nicely with any Mexican-inspired dish. Our Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers would make the perfect side or appetizer for this dish. These chicken breasts would also pair nicely with this Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe from My Keto Kitchen.
What are some other Mexican inspired Keto recipes?
Love low-carb Mexican-inspired recipes? We do too! Be sure to try out one of our most popular recipes– our Easy Keto Crustless Taco Pie Recipe. Missing burritos? Our Low-Carb Zucchini Burrito Boats are sure to satisfying your burrito cravings.
If you’re looking to make a more traditional burrito, you can try using our very popular Keto-Friendly Tortilla Recipe!
Harper
Taco Crusted Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
This recipe for easy taco crusted cheese stuffed chicken breasts is flavorful dish that the whole family will love. This kid-friendly, low carb dinner is filled with delicious melted cheese and crusted with crispy taco-flavored breading. This easy recipe is suitable for those following a low-carb, Keto, Banting, Atkins, or gluten-free diet.
- 1 egg (large)
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (finely grated (almost to a powder))
- 1/4 cup almond flour (super fine)
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 4 medium to large chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
- 4 oz colby cheese (in a block or shredded)
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Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit. Prepare a broiling pan with a rack by wiping with coconut oil or other oil of preference. A baking tray with a rack may be used as well.
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and the hot sauce. Set aside.
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In a second small mixing bowl, whisk together the parmesan, almond flour, and taco seasoning.
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On a cutting board, prepare the chicken breasts by cutting an incision down the center of the breast long-ways about halfway through the breast. To create a pocket within the breast for the cheese, at the base of the previous incision, flatten the knife and cut a pocket horizontally to the right towards the edge of the breast. Finally, repeat this cut to the left (Refer to the process photo as needed). Repeat this entire process with each breast.
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Next, fill the pocket of each breast evenly with about 1 ounce of colby cheese. If using a block of cheese, shave off pieces of cheese to fit in the pocket. Once each breast is filled, secure the opening of the pocket closed by inserting 2-3 toothpicks.
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One by one, dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixture. Turn to coat. Then, dip the egg coated breast in the breading mixture, turning to coat and pressing down slightly if necessary. Place coated chicken breast on the prepared baking tray. Repeat for the rest of the breasts.
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Bake the chicken breasts in the preheated oven for 23-26 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165º Fahrenheit. If a crispier breading is desired, turn the oven to the broil setting and broil the chicken for 1-3 minutes or until the coating turns golden and crispy.
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