Super tender chicken breasts coated in savory marinara, zesty Italian seasonings, and 2 types of cheeses make this perfect any night of the week. Plus the leftovers are incredible!
The Best One Pan Cheesy Chicken Dinner
I don’t know about you but there are days that, after making 8-10 recipes in a single day you just want something easy, peasy, and delicious for dinner. This is one of those recipes I will always turn to. It’s crazy easy to make and honestly, something I will always crave.
Make Sure To Watch The Video
As you can see this recipe is so easy to make. I opted to cut the breasts in half as they were huge and there was no way neither of us could eat a single breast.
Grab Your Ingredients
Just 5 ingredients are needed to make this dish.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts, thawed completely
- Marinara Sauce – go with your favorite flavor that is thicker and not watery
- Cheese – freshly shredded parmesan and sliced fresh Mozzarella
- Please use a whole milk low moisture fresh mozzarella that is not super wet/soaking in water
That’s it; really.
The Best One Pan Cheesy Chicken Dinner
This dish is so easy. You just put all of the ingredients into a pan and bake it. I’ll often do this when I get off work. It takes maybe 10 minutes to throw it together and pop it into the oven. While it’s baking I can change, maybe throw in a load of laundry, and just sit and relax.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grab a 9 x 13″ baking dish and pour in half of the marinara.
- Season both sides of the chicken with the Chupacabra Italian seasoning and place them into the marinara in a single layer.
- Pour the rest of the marinara over top.
- Add the Parmesan cheese over top of each piece of chicken.
- Place the sliced fresh mozzarella over top and bake, uncovered until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165F.
Cheesy Chicken Deliciousness
The first time I made this dish the smell of warm cheese and marinara was absolutely intoxicating. Thank God I made crusty garlic bread with this as the cheesy sauce concoction that was created during the bake was EPIC!
Seriously I could have just eaten the sauce by itself. I remember the one time I made this dish we had friends from Pittsburgh here for a visit. Normally I’d make something on the grill or pizza oven but sadly Mother Nature decided she wanted to rain for days on end.
I whipped this up. Folks when I tell you that not a single drop was left, I’m not kidding. To the point, folks were standing at the counter using the last bits of garlic bread to wipe out the dish.
Chef’s Tip To Avoid Excess Moisture In The Dish
There are 3 very important things to understand about this dish to avoid it being “watery“
- Chicken – your chicken must be completely thawed and patted dry
- Marinara – I use homemade which is thicker. If you are using jarred you want a thicker marinara and not a standard spaghetti sauce.
- Whole Milk Low Moisture Fresh Mozzarella – you want to make sure your cheese is as dry as possible. Slice your cheese and set it on a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture for at least 15 minutes before using. The paper towel will absorb the excess liquid that can make a watery dish.
The Best One-Pan Chicken Dish
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this dish. I’ve used boneless thighs and it’s just as good. I’ve also used different types of marinara and pasta sauces.
Recipe Substitutions and Additions
This recipe is so versatile and honestly, open to so many modifications.
- Chicken – boneless thighs or a combination of thighs and breasts work
- Marinara – you can pretty much use your favorite sauce. Alfredo, pesto, and a mixture of both works
- Veggies – artichoke hearts, broccoli,
- Meats – crispy bacon, pancetta, and prosciutto would be amazing
- Pasta – you can add cooked pasta but you’ll need to increase the amount of marinara
One Pan Easy Cheesy Italian Mozzarella Baked Chicken
Super tender chicken breasts coated in savory marinara, zesty Italian seasonings, and 2 types of cheeses make this perfect any night of the week. Plus the leftovers are incredible!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: one pan, weeknight dinners, baked chicken, italian chicken, cheese chicken, meal prep chicken, easy dinners
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: one pan, weeknight dinners, baked chicken, italian chicken, cheese chicken, meal prep chicken, easy dinners
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- 24 ounces thicker marinara (not spaghetti sauce)
- 2 Tablespoons Chupacabra Italian Seasoning
- 2 cups freshly shredded Parmesan
- 16 ounces Fresh whole milk low moisture Mozzarella, sliced into 12 pieces *See blog section about this!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grab a 9 x 13″ baking dish and pour in half of the marinara.
- Season both sides of the chicken with the Chupacabra Italian seasoning and place them into the marinara in a single layer.
- Pour the rest of the marinara over top.
- Add the Parmesan cheese over top of each piece of chicken.
- Place the sliced fresh mozzarella over top and bake, uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
*This is based on each large breast being split by 2 people
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