Italian Baked Chicken is a simple and delicious chicken dinner! Seasoned chicken breasts are nestled into marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked until golden brown and bubbly. Italian Baked Chicken is perfect for an easy weeknight meal, meal prep option, date night dinner or to feed a crowd! Easy, delicious and comforting chicken dinner.
What KJ Loves about this Recipe
I absolutely love this Italian Baked Chicken recipe! It’s simple, yet delivers so much flavor. A healthier way to cook chicken, yet comforting at the same time. It’s hassle-free as everything goes into the baking dish, into the oven and then onto the table. Simple enough for a scrumptious weeknight meal that everyone will love, but yet can be the star of a date night table. A chicken recipe to have on repeat!
Chicken Breasts or Thighs?
Really, for this recipe, chicken breasts or chicken thighs can be used.
Personally, I prefer chicken breasts. If you prefer dark meat, then use chicken thighs!
Either option you choose, make sure that you grab boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. That way, it’s easier and faster to cook.
If you are using chicken thighs, more of them will be able to fit into the baking dish compared to chicken breasts. This recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, but if using chicken thighs, 6 can be used.
How to Make Italian Baked Chicken
Bringing this recipe to life couldn’t be easier. Follow a few simple steps to have a scrumptious, cheesy, chicken dinner ready to go in no time.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and some dried herbs.
- Pour a jar of marinara sauce into a 9×13 baking pan.
- Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Cover with shredded mozzarella, cover with foil and bake!
- Take the foil off to get the top of the cheese golden brown and bubbly.
- Dig in!
Putting everything in to a baking pan, placing in the oven and leaving it alone is a perfect way to get dinner on the table if you ask me! Your house will smell amazingly comforting while the chicken bakes away in the oven. It gets everyone hungry and ready for dinner!
Putting everything in to a baking pan, placing in the oven and leaving it alone is a perfect way to get dinner on the table if you ask me! Your house will smell amazingly comforting while the chicken bakes away in the oven. It gets everyone hungry and ready for dinner!
Serving Ideas
After this bubbly, cheesy, saucy chicken comes out of the oven, it’s time to dig in! There are so many ways to go about serving this Italian Baked Chicken. Here’s some serving ideas:
- With pasta – boil up your favorite pasta and serve with the chicken and sauce served over top!
- With couscous – use my Herbed Couscous recipe for the perfect couscous companion!
- Sub sandwiches – take a spin on a meatball sandwich! Slice up a chicken breast and layer on top of a toasted hoagie with the cheese and sauce.
- With roasted vegetables – leave the chicken be and serve with some roasted vegetables for a delicious, healthy dinner! Try it with my Roasted Broccolini or Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or basil to add a pop of color and flavor before digging in.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or basil to add a pop of color and flavor before digging in.
Looking for other Chicken Recipes? Check these out!
Italian Baked Chicken
(16 votes, average: 3.88 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Italian Baked Chicken is a simple and delicious chicken dinner! Seasoned chicken breasts are nestled into marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked until golden brown and bubbly. Italian Baked Chicken is perfect for an easy weeknight meal, meal prep option, date night dinner or to feed a crowd! Easy, delicious and comforting chicken dinner.
Ingredients
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Evenly pour the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt, oregano and thyme. Nestle the chicken into the pasta sauce and evenly cover with the shredded cheese.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
- Garnish with freshly chopped basil or parsley and enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken breasts or thighs can be used for this recipe. Either way, make sure they are boneless and skinless.
- Use your favorite pasta sauce for this recipe.
- Serve this chicken with pasta, couscous or roasted vegetables!
- Leftovers of this recipe re-heat very well. Store the chicken with the remaining sauce to help keep it flavorful and moist.
- Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 15.3g
- Carbohydrates: 17.1g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 60.2g
- Cholesterol: 166mg
Keywords: Italian Baked Chicken
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Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
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Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
