Ruth’s Chris Stuffed Chicken Recipe

Ruth’s Chris stuffed chicken originated at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a restaurant chain famous for its meat. While steak is usually their forte, they make amazing chicken as well. This stuffed chicken is actually one of their most popular dishes!

Ruth Chris stuffed chicken is made from tender chicken breasts, oven-roasted to golden perfection. You’ll love this juicy chicken stuffed with their famous cheesy garlic sauce. Every bite is full of creamy, savory goodness.

While this recipe sounds complicated, it’s actually very easy to replicate! Some recipes use ranch dressing and worcestershire sauce, but I opted for simple ingredients like cream cheese and ricotta. Skip going out tonight, and serve up this restaurant-style dish in the comfort of your home!

Tips and Tricks for Making Ruth Chris Stuffed Chicken

Butterfly the Chicken

For this recipe, you’ll need to cut your chicken breasts in half, or “butterfly” them. This is how the stuffing will fit inside.

To cut the chicken, place the breast on a cutting board and press down lightly with a flat hand. Cut horizontally through the middle of the breast with a sharp knife. You should be able to open it and lay the two sides flat.

Cook Your Chicken Thoroughly

It’s important that the stuffed chicken breast is fully cooked. Unlike beef, chicken cannot be eaten raw at all. This is because chicken has a higher risk of carrying salmonella due to the way it’s processed.

A good visual aid to check for doneness is by looking at the color of the juice. Cooked chicken will have pale yellow juices, whereas uncooked chicken will have pink juices.

Marinate the Chicken Breasts

If you want really flavorful stuffed chicken breast, you can marinate the chicken before making this recipe. Choose a marinade with lemon or vinegar if you want to make your chicken more tender. For best results, let the chicken breast marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking.

Top With Cheese

You can never have too much cheese, especially with this creamy chris stuffed chicken recipe! Add some shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the top of the chicken breast before baking. Switch to broil in the last few minutes of cooking and you’ll get a golden brown crispy cheese crust!

All About The Ruth Chris Stuffed Chicken Ingredients

Cheese

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese originates from Italy and is made from milk whey left over from cheese production. It’s creamy, slightly grainy, and has a flavor similar to sour cream. When cooked, it becomes silky smooth and blends well with other ingredients.

Ricotta is often used in creamy pastas, pizza, and lasagna. There are many varieties like goat or sheep milk ricotta, but for this chris stuffed chicken recipe, we’ll use cow’s milk ricotta.

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is another soft cheese like ricotta. It has a slightly tangy flavor and is made from a combination of milk and cream. It’s meant to be eaten fresh, so it hasn’t been aged like other cheeses such as brie.

Cream cheese is so versatile it can be used in both desserts and savory dishes. For this stuffed chicken recipe, cream cheese forms the base of the cheesy garlic sauce. Though cream cheese is firm when cold, it softens and becomes smooth and creamy when it’s heated up.

Baby Spinach

Baby spinach is usually harvested when it’s somewhere between 15-35 days old. (1) Since it’s harvested earlier than regular spinach, this gives it a milder and sweeter flavor.

Baby spinach is my favorite leafy green to use in salads, due to its numerous health benefits. It’s chock full of nutrients like lutein and quercetin. It’s also full of antioxidants, which are known to help reduce heart disease.

Garlic

Garlic is a pungent herb that is used to flavor all types of food, from pasta to curries to meat dishes. It’s in the same family as onions and chives, so they pair together nicely.

If you can’t get your hands on fresh garlic, you can substitute it for garlic powder. About 1/8 tsp of garlic powder has the same flavor strength as 1 clove of garlic.

For this stuffed chicken recipe, I’m using Elephant garlic. This garlic is larger than your standard garlic and has a milder flavor so it can be eaten raw. Of course, if you can’t find Elephant garlic, regular garlic will do.

Garlic Chive

Garlic chives are exactly what they sound like–a chive with a slightly garlicky flavor! You can find them in many Chinese dishes such as garlic chive eggs. They’re also added as a fresh garnish on dishes for a subtle hint of garlic flavor.

Garlic chives look almost identical to a regular chive, the main difference being their flat leaves. They also have a distinct garlic aroma.

Panko or Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are a dry product made of crumbled bread. They’re used in cooking to give foods a crispy texture. They’re great on top of casseroles, or to coat fried chicken!

Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that has a flakier, crispier texture than standard breadcrumbs. I prefer to use panko whenever I can because it is lighter tasting and doesn’t absorb as much oil.

Method

1. Preheat the Oven
   

   Heat the oven to 375°F.



2. Butterfly the Chicken Breast
   

   Cut the chicken breast in half and lay both sides flat. Use a mallet or rolling pin to flatten the chicken halves until they’re about 1/4 inch thick. Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
   

3. Sauté the Garlic
   

   Heat a frying pan with oil. Sauté the elephant garlic until soft and fragrant.

4. Blend Cheese, Butter, Garlic Chive, and Onion Powder
   

   Add the sautéed garlic to your food processor. Then, add cream cheese, ricotta, butter (or olive oil), chopped garlic chives, and onion powder. Blend until a smooth cheese mixture forms.



5. Stuff the Chicken
   

   Stuff the cheese mixture inside the chicken breasts, along with the baby spinach. There should be an even distribution of both.



6. Coat with Breadcrumbs
   

   Fill a shallow dish with breadcrumbs. Roll the chicken into the crumbs and coat evenly.

7. Bake
   

   Insert toothpicks into the chicken to keep the stuffed chicken breast closed. Then, place the chicken on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Make sure the seam is facing up.

   Bake the stuffed chicken breasts for 20-30 minutes.

What To Serve With Ruth Chris Stuffed Chicken

This rich and savory chicken dish pairs excellently with classic sides like mashed potatoes and pasta. Creamy or fresh herb pasta would especially compliment the garlic cheese filling. If you want something a little less fatty, you can opt for a side of rice instead.

Sweet potato is another delicious side and my personal preference! The sweet nutty flavor of these potatoes is just what this salty and savory dish needs to balance it out.

And if you prefer something lighter, you can always serve this stuffed chicken with a nice side salad. Steamed green veggies like broccoli or asparagus are also a healthy option, and they taste amazing with cheese!

How to Store and Freeze Ruth Chris Stuffed Chicken

Any stuffed chicken leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours of being cooked. Cooked food left at room temperature longer than 2 hours can start to grow bacteria.

Let the chicken cool before you place it in the refrigerator. If you need to, slice the stuffed chicken breast into pieces to help it cool faster.

Store stuffed chicken in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. This stuffed chicken recipe will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days. If you don’t plan to eat it before then, you should store it in the freezer.