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.
chicken marinara
Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara. This is my quick version of chicken Parmesan. No dipping, no breading, no frying. And the whole chicken marinara 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, spinach and sausage lasagna, and a crazy good Reuben casserole, my stack of recipes to make includes recipes like this kinda healthy take on chicken Parmesan.
the ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- canned crushed tomatoes
- Italian herb blend
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes
- cherry tomatoes
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- fresh mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley and basil
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.
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 a delicious chicken marinara recipe
- 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.
what to serve with this dish
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 sauté 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.
just one more thing
If you make this tasty baked chicken marinara 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.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
Recipe
Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 small onion chopped about ½ cup
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
- About ¾ 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.
Karen says
OMG this was SOOO good! the flavors were bursting and it was so simple to make - LOVED it ....I served the chicken over some pasta then added all remaining sauce.... will make often! Thank you!
Amy Casey says
That is awesome Karen1 I'm so glad you loved my recipe.
Christine says
Ii looks good