Apple Stuffed Chicken with Sage Sauce. Juicy chicken breasts stuffed with cheddar cheese and apple, and topped with a savory butter sage sauce. Easy to make of full of delicious flavor!
I mentioned in the Healthier Apple Crisp post that one of my favorite parts of fall is going apple picking with my family. I have a three and a half and a one and a half year old. Needless to say, we ended up with a lot of apples this year. We gave away a good number of the apples, and I’ve been packing them in lunches, but we still have a lot to use. I decided a savory dish would be a tasty, different way to use some this year.
Hasselback Potatoes
My husband is an excellent cook. Whereas I try to cook on the lower calorie and healthy side, he tries to cook on the feeling more full after a meal side. He went through a phase where he made Hasselback potatoes a good bit. There were DELISH. However, there was one night where he couldn’t remember the temperature and time he used, and we ended up with basically charcoaled potato skins. Sadly, he hasn’t made them since.
Hasselback Chicken
Sometime recently I saw a photo of Hasselback chicken, and it made me think of how much I love my husband’s potatoes. I loved the idea of the Hasselback chicken, but I didn’t quite know what I wanted to stuff into the chicken. That is, until we had a plethora of apples in the refrigerator. I knew that stuffed into some chicken, they would be delicious.
Apple Stuffed Chicken with Sage Sauce
Apples and chicken clearly go with cheddar cheese, so it was no brainer that cheese would go in the chicken as well. And finally, I wanted a delicious, brown butter topping using fresh herbs. I decided on sage for the topping, and it was the right move. The earthy taste of the sage pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the apples. This apple stuffed chicken with sage sauce is simple to put together and doesn’t take long to bake, a perfect weeknight dinner!

Apple Stuffed Chicken with Sage Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 slices sharp cheddar cheese deli slices
- 1 medium sized apple
Sauce
- 5 tbsp butter
- 10 sage leaves chopped roughly
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil so that aluminum foil is about 4" higher that the top of each edge.
- Mix together chicken broth, lemon pepper seasoning, paprika, salt, and olive oil. Pour mixture in bottom of prepared baking pan.
- Cut chicken so that it's about 3/4" thick. Cut vertical slices about 3/4 of the way through the chicken, every 3/4 to 1 inch (this is where the apples and cheese go, you can see in the photos).
- Core apple and cut remaining apple into slices about 1/4" thickness. Place 1 slice of apple into each of the cuts in the chicken.
- Cut deli cheese into about 1/2" width strips. Place cheese slices next to apple in chicken.
- Put cheese and apple filled chicken into prepared baking pan. Fold up aluminum foil on all sides so that chicken is covered with the foil. If you have space remaining, use another piece of foil to cover. Do not let the foil touch the cheese or tops of the chicken.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Sauce
- While chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small sauce pan on stove top over medium heat. Once butter begins to turn a light amber color, mix in sage. Continue stirring until butter turns a darker amber color. Typically you smell a nutty flavor as the butter browns, but because of the sage, it is masked.
- Remove butter from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
Serving
- Remove chicken from broth in pan. Serve with sage butter sauce.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed this Apple Stuffed Chicken with Sage Sauce, you’ll probably enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Fajita Stuffed Chicken
Harissa Chicken with Couscous and Mint Sauce
Grilled Lemon Chicken with Panko Crusted Vegetables
Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Risotto (Instant Pot or Stove Top)