Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara. Super easy. Comfort food. How about a new and healthy twist on chicken Parmesan? Bake chicken breasts in a homemade marinara sauce with fresh mozzarella cheese for cheesy Italian goodness.
Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara. This is my quick version of chicken Parmesan. No dipping, no breading, no frying. And the whole chicken recipe bakes to a tomatoey cheesy dinner in one pan.
With the temperatures warming up (Memorial is only 46 days away but, who’s counting? I am!) summer can’t be far off. This is the time of year when I start to lighten up my cooking. After hunkering down over the winter with hearty dishes like cabbage roll meatballs and triple cheese lasagna, my stack of recipes to make includes recipes like this kind of healthy take on chicken Parmesan.
Tender chicken breasts bake in a homemade marinara sauce. I toss in a few cherry tomatoes to liven up the sauce. Slices of soft, fresh mozzarella melt to a gooey goodness over the chicken. The recipe is a mix of cozy winter and bright spring and summer days.
What are some good ways to serve baked chicken mozzarella marinara? By all means with a loaf of good bakery bread to sop up all the delicious sauce. When feeling extra healthy, serve over strands of barely sauteed zucchini noodles. They need only a few minutes to saute in olive oil in a hot pan. A simple salad with chopped romaine lettuce, shreds of sweet carrot, a few slices of cucumber and a balsamic herb vinaigrette makes for a refreshing side dish.
With any leftovers, toast hoagie rolls and fill with slices of chicken, some of the tomato marinara sauce and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.
Chef cooking tips for Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara
- Use chicken breasts that are all about the same size. That way they will all cook in about the same amount of time.
- The optimal internal temperature to bake the chicken to 165 degrees. If it is baked to higher temperature, the chicken with get tough and dried out.
- Add fresh herbs when at all possible. They add a nice bright pop of flavor and color.
Recent video ~ prosciutto and provolone stuffed chicken
If you make this tasty baked chicken recipe, I’d love hearing from you all. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
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Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara. Super easy. Comfort food. How about a new and healthy twist on chicken Parmesan? Bake chicken breasts in a homemade marinara sauce with fresh mozzarella cheese for cheesy Italian goodness.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion chopped, about 1/2 cup
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
About 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley and basil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To make the marinara sauce, heat a 1 quart sized pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, onion and garlic. Saute the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of the Italian herb blend. Stir to combine.
Turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
Stir in the cherry tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the marinara sauce aside.
To assemble the baked chicken, in a 9 x 13 inch ceramic baking dish add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the chicken breasts to the dish placing about an inch or so apart.
Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining Italian herb blend, season with salt and pepper and a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
Top the chicken with the marinara sauce making sure the chicken is covered.
Place the slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the chicken.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees F and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F.
Remove the chicken from the oven and top with the freshly shredded Parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley and basil. Serve.
Notes
- Use chicken breasts that are all about the same size. That way they will all cook in about the same amount of time.
- The optimal internal temperature to bake the chicken to 165 degrees. If it is baked to higher temperature, the chicken with get tough and dry out.
- Add fresh herbs when at all possible. They add a nice bright pop of flavor and color.
- Category: entree
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 672 mg
- Fat: 34.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 45.9 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
Keywords: baked Italian chicken, baked chicken and marinara, chicken mozzarella and tomato sauce
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