Smoked Chicken Breast with Cheese Filling and Chimichurri Sauce
How to smoke a boneless skinless chicken breast with cheese stuffing and chimichurri sauce. Great recipe for an electric smoker, big green egg, pellet smoker like a traeger, or an offset smoker.
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 3 hourshours
Total Time: 3 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Servings: 4chicken breasts
Ingredients
4chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1tbspdried oregano, divided
1tbspolive oil
1tspsalt, divided
1/2tspblack pepper
3garlic cloves
1cupcream cheese, softened
Chimichurri Sauce
1jalapeno pepper, cored and seeded
2cupsfresh cilantro, packed
1garlic clove
1tspred chili flakes
1lime, juiced
1tbspdried oregano
1/2tspsalt
3tbspolive oil
Instructions
Make the chimichurri sauce by adding the fresh cilantro, jalapeno pepper, 1 garlic clove, chili flakes, lime juice, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 3 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt to a food processor. Press the pulse button and release. Continue to do this to finely chop the cilantro. The sauce resemble finely chopped herbs.
Place the cream cheese in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the chimichurri sauce. Set aside the remaining chimichurri sauce for later. Use a fork to mash the cream cheese and chimichurri sauce until well combined.
Holding knife horizontally, insert into the thick end of each chicken breast and cut to make a deep pocket. Be careful not to pierce through the other end.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture evenly into the pockets of each chicken breast.
In a small bowl mix together the remaining 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and minced garlic. Rub all over the chicken breasts. Place the chicken on a smoker rack.
Set the smoker to 250F using wood chips of choice. Hickory, pecan or apple for chicken would would great in this recipe.
Smoke the chicken until they reach an internal temperature of 165F, should take around 3 hours.
Place the chicken breasts on a plate and spoon remaining chimichurri sauce on top.