Who doesn’t love chicken with marinara sauce? It’s been a favorite among my family and friends for years. My Grandma is the one who has shared this recipe (along with many others) with me. After I moved out, I was on my own for making this delicious Italian dish so it took me some time to perfect it.
CHICKEN MARINARA | VIDEO
Chicken Marinara. Healthy, delicious chicken simmered in lip-smacking marinara sauce. The cheesy mozzarella adds that final touch to this easy weeknight meal. Best served with a bowl of spaghetti!
No matter what you love about a good marinara sauce, trust me, chicken poached in delectable tomatoey sauce is incredibly easy to make and chances are you haven’t been giving it the best spot that it deserves on your menu.
If you want to introduce more taste and color to your everyday meals, chicken marinara is the right dish for you. The key is to cook the chicken perfectly in delectable marinara sauce or tomato pasta sauce. All you need to do is make your favorite marinara sauce and cook chicken in it. Don’t forget to top with mozzarella for that extra cheesy goodness.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN MARINARA
First, the marinara sauce. To be exact, homemade marinara sauce or tomato pasta sauce from scratch. If you have a favorite recipe, feel free to use it in this dish. Although store bought marinara sauce tastes good in this recipe, I highly recommend making it from scratch for that undeniably delicious sauce.
To make the marinara sauce, all you need to do is stir fry some garlic and add in canned tomatoes. Let this simmer for a few minutes before you stir in plenty of basil leaves. Don’t skimp on basil as it’s one of the key elements of this sauce used to make chicken marinara. Now that’s the basic sauce but feel free to customize the recipe your favorite way. For instance, you can add in mushrooms, roasted garlic etc to level up the flavor.
The chicken also needs to be browned in hot oil. For this, first season chicken generously with salt and pepper, place in a pan in a single layer and let these brown on all sides.
You’ll need to make the marinara sauce for this chicken marinara in the same pan. Fry some garlic in hot oil followed by canned tomatoes, water, oregano and Italian seasoning. Simmer this mixture for about 3 minutes before adding in chopped basil leaves.
Now, add chicken back to the sauce, top with mozzarella and transfer to the oven to bake for 7-10 minutes. Again, make sure you start the cooking process in an oven proof skillet.
And done! Delicious, cheesy, chicken marinara to serve with your favorite pasta.
CHICKEN MARINARA | VIDEO
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Succulent, cheesy, delicious chicken simmered in marinara sauce. Serve with your favorite pasta for a complete meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large chicken breast or thigh fillets
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 400 g (1 can) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Your favorite pasta, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium- high heat. Place chicken in the pan in a single layer. Cook 4-6 minutes on each side. Cook chicken in batches if needed. Remove from pan. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 F or 200 C.
- Add remaining oil to the same pan. Add garlic cloves. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add canned tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning and oregano. Season with salt.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add chicken back to the marinara sauce and top with mozzarella.
- Transfer the skillet to oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.
- Ideally, an instant-read thermometer should read 165 F or 75 C to ensure chicken is fully cooked.
NOTES
- You can use store bought marinara sauce or tomato pasta sauce in this recipe but I highly recommend making it from scratch for extra flavor.
Baked Chicken Marinara
Baked Chicken Marinara – chicken pieces coated with Parmesan and bread crumbs, fried and covered with a tomato basil marinara sauce, and topped with melted Mozzarella. A flavorful alternative to chicken parmesan.
This baked chicken marinara dish is my mother’s version of chicken parmesan, in that chicken pieces, are breaded, fried, smothered with sauce, topped with Mozzarella, and baked.
Rather than pounding thin chicken breasts though, my mother uses more flavorful boneless skinless chicken thighs. She adds plenty of fresh basil to the marinara tomato sauce.
Tastes great served with pasta for a chicken marinara pasta dish. So good! Comfort food at its best.
Baked Chicken Marinara
PREP TIME5 mins
COOK TIME35 mins
TOTAL TIME40 mins
SERVINGS6 servings
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Chicken:
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 9 boneless chicken thighs (skinless or skin-on, your preference), if large pieces, then cut in half
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Method
- Make the sauce:Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.Add the tomatoes, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Bread the chicken pieces:Combine the grated Parmesan and the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in another separate bowl, and the beaten eggs in another bowl.Dredge each piece of chicken first in the flour, then dip in the beaten eggs, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Brown the chicken on the stovetop:Heat 4 Tbsp of olive oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.Working in batches if necessary, add chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
- Bake the chicken with the sauce and cheese:Place chicken pieces on an oven-proof serving dish. Spoon sauce over chicken pieces. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, or microwave on high heat for 10-20 seconds, just until the cheese has melted
| NUTRITION FACTS(PER SERVING) | |
|---|---|
| 845 | CALORIES |
| 51g | FAT |
| 36g | CARBS |
| 65g | PROTEIN |