Nothing beats chicken—except stuffed chicken! Chicken breast gets elevated with a divine cheese and pesto-infused mixture to create a flavor explosion with every bite in this recipe, which is served alongside lightly roasted asparagus that adds crunch and texture to every bite.
When it comes to eating low-carb, the humble chicken is well-loved for a reason. And while there’s nothing wrong with eating the same preparation of chicken day in and day out, it’s a nice change to play around with the flavors and presentation. Once you’ve tried stuffed chicken, it’s hard to go back. Spreading a mix of cream cheese, green pesto, and parmesan cheese evenly along the inside of the chicken makes the meat that much more tender and juicy.
Known for being a spring vegetable, asparagus is associated with lighter flavors and is an optimal receptacle for the Italian flavors of this dish. With a naturally sweet and subtle taste, asparagus really shines when coated with a gentle helping of spices and olive oil, and topped with the chicken to absorb the juices.
There are certainly numerous ways to prepare chicken and asparagus, but cooking them in an air fryer may be the most convenient and healthiest option available. Unlike the regular stovetop method, you can place the dish in the air fryer and continue on with your day, with full confidence that you’ll get perfectly cooked chicken only 18-20 minutes later.
Yields 2 servings of Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus
The Preparation
Stuffed Chicken Breast:
- 16 ounce chicken breasts
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon green pesto
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Asparagus:
- 6 ounce asparagus
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
The Execution
1. Gather and prep all ingredients. Pre-heat air fryer to 350F.
2. Toss the asparagus with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Lay chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the chicken breast deep enough to fill.
4. In a small bowl, combine the filling for the chicken. Combine cream cheese, pesto, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spoon the filling mixture into the pockets.
6. Drizzle oil over the chicken breast and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Lay the asparagus on the bottom of the air fryer compartment, then lay chicken over the top of the asparagus.
8. Cook for 18-22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
This makes a total of 2 servings of Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus. Each serving comes out to be 830 calories, 52.6g fats, 5.7g net carbs, and 78.9g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 16.00 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast | 748 | 16.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140.6 |
| 4.00 ounce cream cheese | 388 | 38.6 | 4.7 | 0 | 4.7 | 7 |
| 2.00 tablespoon pesto | 108 | 10.6 | 2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| 2.00 tablespoon parmesan cheese | 54 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.5 | 4.8 |
| 2.00 teaspoon olive oil | 80 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.00 none salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6.00 ounce asparagus spears | 34 | 0.2 | 6.6 | 3.6 | 3 | 3.7 |
| 2.00 tablespoon olive oil | 239 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0.50 teaspoon garlic powder | 5 | 0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1 | 0.3 |
| 0.50 teaspoon onion powder | 4 | 0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| 0.00 none salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 1660 | 105.2 | 15.9 | 4.5 | 11.4 | 157.7 |
| Per Serving (/2) | 830 | 52.6 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 5.7 | 78.9 |
The Preparation
- Stuffed Chicken Breast:
- 16 ounce chicken breasts
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon green pesto
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Asparagus:
- 6 ounce asparagus
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
The Execution
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Pre-heat air fryer to 350F.
- Toss the asparagus with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Lay chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into the chicken breast deep enough to fill.
- In a small bowl, combine the filling for the chicken. Combine cream cheese, pesto, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the filling mixture into the pockets.
- Drizzle oil over the chicken breast and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Lay the asparagus on the bottom of the air fryer compartment, then lay chicken over the top of the asparagus.
- Cook for 18-22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This makes a total of 2 servings of Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken with Asparagus. Each serving comes out to be 830 calories, 52.6g fats, 5.7g net carbs, and 78.9g protein.
