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Keeping things cozy yet healthy with this oven roasted Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Chicken In White Wine Pan Sauce. All served with the creamiest mashed cauliflower. Herb ricotta cheese stuffed chicken, roasted alongside sweet shallots, garlic, and in-season mushrooms. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine and apple cider pan sauce. It’s simple-ish but still mouthwatering. Especially when served over creamy mashed cauliflower hinted with garlic. It’s the autumn dinner everyone will love!
It’s not even October yet and I’m already breaking out some of the coziest fall recipes. I’d say sorry, but then I feel like we’re all ready for some slow-roasted chicken dinners that scream fall. We are, aren’t we?
At least that’s my hope, because, as I’ve now said, I’m in full-on fall mode. I apologize for talking about my love of fall so much…I’m sure it’s getting old. So I’ll spare you that today and instead jump right into talking about this simple, but oh so delicious chicken dinner, complete with a side of creamy butter mashed cauliflower.
The photos don’t really do this meal justice, but you guys, this chicken is so good.
I’ve wanted to make a ricotta-stuffed chicken for a while now. But for some reason, I could never put my finger on exactly how I wanted to make it. There are obviously many ways you can roast chicken, but I wanted to do something that felt new and special.
I had a lot of ideas, but in the end, I actually kept things a little more classic…but with a twist, of course.
Start with the chicken.
It all starts with an oven-safe skillet or roasting pan. I highly recommend my go-to Staub 12-inch cast-iron skillet. It’s the perfect pan for this recipe…and it’s extra pretty too.
Just be sure to use a pan that can go from the oven to the stove. You’ll roast the chicken in the oven, but then finish the pan sauce on the stove. This is why cast iron is ideal. But again, any roasting pan or stainless steel pan will also work.
For this dish, I used skin-on, boneless chicken breasts. You need skin-on chicken for this recipe, as you will stuff all that ricotta cheese under the chicken skin.
The cheese is mixed with fresh thyme, sage, and a pinch of nutmeg. It too is then stuffed underneath the chicken skin. It’s savory, cheesy, and very herby. As the chicken roasts, the cheese warms and the skin turns golden and crisp. Since ricotta doesn’t melt very much, it stays pretty secured under the chicken’s skin.
I like to roast the chicken alongside shallots, garlic, thyme, and cremini mushrooms.
While the chicken is cooking, make the mashed cauliflower.
This is SO EASY. Simply, boil some cauliflower florets, drain, and mash with a little cream cheese (mostly for extra creaminess), butter, and salt. I know it seems so simple, but don’t knock the mashed cauliflower until you try it. It’s so creamy and really does taste similar to mashed potatoes, just a smidge lighter.
It’s the perfect healthy side dish to serve with this.
Next, that pan sauce…it’s key.
Once the chicken has roasted and is cooked through, remove everything from the oven. Then transfer the chicken and mushrooms to a plate. It’s time to make that pan sauce.
Browned butter. White wine. Fresh apple cider.
I mean, SO GOOD. Dramatic, yes, but you really do need this pan sauce.
The sauce cooks down with the roasted garlic and shallots and turns into a flavorful, butter, herb-infused sauce with hints of wine and sweet autumn cider. It’s perfect when drizzled over the ricotta-stuffed chicken and roasted mushrooms.
Serve the chicken and mushrooms over plates of mashed cauliflower, then spoon the sauce overtop.
Add crusty bread and a simple autumn salad. Best any night of the week dinner that would be just as perfect for a fancy dinner party with friends.
Also, if you’re looking for other sides to serve with this chicken, creamy mashed potatoes would be equally delicious. Especially once things get really cold come November.
Looking for other easy autumn chicken recipes? Here are a few ideas:
One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf
30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs with Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes
Homemade Chicken Noodle Casserole
Lastly, if you make this, Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Chicken In White Wine Pan Sauce with Mashed Cauliflower be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Herbed Ricotta Stuffed Chicken In Cider Pan Sauce with Mashed Cauliflower
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 715 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- kosher salt and pepper
- 4-6 skin-on, chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 small shallots, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, halved, if large
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/2 cup apple cider
Mashed Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2-3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease an oven-safe skillet with olive oil.2. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, gouda, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon sage, nutmeg, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. 3. Loosen the skin of the chicken breast with your fingertips. Stuff about 2 tablespoons of ricotta underneath the skin of each breast. Rub the chicken skin with olive oil, season with 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon sage, salt, and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the prepared skillet. Arrange the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms around the chicken. Drizzle olive oil over the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.4. Remove from the oven and place the chicken and mushrooms on a plate.5. Place the skillet with the shallots and garlic over medium heat. Add the butter. Cook 1-2 minutes, until the butter is browned. Add the wine and cider. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 5 minutes, until reduced by half. Slide the chicken and mushrooms back into the skillet, simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat.6. Meanwhile, make the mashed cauliflower. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Drain well.6. In a food processor, combine the cauliflower, garlic, cream cheese, and butter, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.7. To serve, spoon the mashed cauliflower onto plates. Add the chicken and mushrooms. Then spoon over the pan sauce. Top with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 21, 2020
Looking forward to making this for company soon. Any tips on how to make it ahead of time? Thanks!
Hey Lisa,
I would recommend assembling everything ahead of time and then cooking when you are ready to serve. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Any suggestions for how to make this stuffed if I only have boneless skinless chicken breast? 🙂
Hi Carol,
Yes just slice and stuff the actual chicken breast. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Any suggestions for how to still make this “stuffed” if i couldnt find any chicken with skin? Just regular chicken breast….
Hey Carol,
Yes I would use boneless chicken breasts and just stuff those with the mixture. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I searched high and low for skin on breasts but couldn’t find any in San Francisco. I settled on bone in, skin on thighs. Needless to say they were very raw in the middle underneath the thick layer of ricotta. I believe I cooked for 35 mins at 425-450, and even broiled for 2-3 mins. This was literally half baked (harvest)?. Big fail…and now ordering Chipotle for dinner
Hey Jessica,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe, but using bone in chicken thighs will require a much longer cooking time than the boneless breasts that the recipe called for. I would recommend using chicken breasts next time:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you think I could pound out chicken breast and stuff them or do you think it would be better to use bone in skin on chicken breast? I don’t have skin on boneless chicken breast?
Hey Kate,
You could just slice the chicken breasts and stuff them:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I cannot get over how amazing this dish was!! I made everything the same except I used pecorino romano instead of the gouda and let me tell you, I didn’t want the meal to end!
Wow I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Alexa! Thank you so much! xTieghan
The flavors were amazing and there wasn’t a mess on my stove. My sauce wasn’t perfect but I may have had too many breasts in the pan. The boneless breasts with skin on weren’t available at my regular grocery store. Although I didn’t ask about it at the butcher counter. I easily found them at a smaller grocery store that I prefer to buy my meat/chicken at.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Cathy! Thank you for trying it!! xTieghan
Made this tonight and my boyfriend was practically licking his plate. Thank you for an amazing fall dinner! Your site is incredible and I can’t wait to try many more of your recipes!
Thank you so much Rachel!! I am really glad you enjoyed this one! xTieghan
I will be *that person* by saying I had to substitute a LOT based on what I had on hand. But – the fact that a fancy (yet relatively easy) recipe like this can be made and still taste delicious without a trip to the grocery store? That’s a win in my book! I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and to get them “cripsy” without skin I seared them for a few minutes before throwing the whole skillet in the oven. I also used reduced fat ricotta and reduced fat mozzarella (instead of gouda) because they were all I had on hand. I can only imagine out decadent and delicious this would be with the skin-on chicken, regular ricotta and gouda! Oh well, I can attest that some unintentional healthy subs still made for a really great dish! The Apple Cider made this taste so “fallish” and absolutely perfect for an October Sunday night dinner.
Hi Whitney! I am so happy you were able to make this with what you had on hand! Thank you so much for giving this a try! xTieghan
Just made this tonight. It was so delicious. My husband was obsessing over the pan sauce. Another favorite for fall!
Thank you so much Nicole! xTieghan
Made this tonight! I’m usually not a recipe person – but this looked amazing and I had to give it a try! I made a couple adjustments – I replaced the mushrooms with cauliflower and then served it with mashed potato instead of mashed cauliflower. (I had some potatoes I needed to use and figured we were still getting our cauliflower in by swapping for the shrooms!) ? It was very yummy! Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Carrie Jean! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This was so good! Felt fancy, and yet wasn’t all that hard. I used skinless chicken and just made a slit in the thickest part of each breast, and stuffed the ricotta in there. Worked perfectly. I also used apple juice instead of cider, and the sauce was great. It was also my first time making the mashed cauliflower, and I loved it. Best part was the kids ate the chicken with no complaints (the cauliflower got mixed reviews, but I expected that from my picky little foodies). Can’t wait to make it again, and excited to try some of your other chicken dishes! Next up, either the french wine and mustard chicken, or the proscuitto apple and sage butter chicken!
Hi Paulina! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you all! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I read through most of the reviews but didn’t see that anyone else had this question. When browning the butter, do you add it to the pan with the juices from the chicken? Cannot wait to enjoy the dish.
Hey Alura,
Yes that is totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just made this – chicken and sauce were amazing but something about the raw garlic in the cauli mash made it so spicy it was unedible (coming from someone with high spice tolerance) – were the cloves supposed to be steamed or roasted in advance?
Hey Neil,
So sorry you did not enjoy the garlic. Next time you could roast it or simply omit it from the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was so good and pretty easy! Boyfriend approved. Will definitely make this one again.
Thank you Mallory! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan