Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara

5 from 1 vote

Baked Chicken Mozzarella Marinara

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.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken and marinara, baked Italian chicken, chicken recipe, dinner ideas

Servings: servings

Calories: 540kcal

Author: Amy Casey

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.

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