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    Home » Recipes

    Baked Chicken Marinara

    Published: Feb 19, 2021 · Modified: Feb 28, 2023 by Emily · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Make this Baked Chicken Marinara in less than an hour for an easy meal everyone will love. This dish has breaded baked chicken topped with marinara sauce and cheese. An easy weeknight meal that is inexpensive and delicious!

    a baking dish with baked chicken covered in marinara sauce, cheese and fresh basil
    Jump to Recipe
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    Ingredients Needed for Baked Chicken Marinara

    • 4-6 chicken breasts, flattened
    • seasoned bread crumbs
    • panko bread crumbs
    • grated Parmesan cheese
    • butter
    • mozzarella cheese
    • marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)
    • fresh basil
    baked marinara chicken in a dish and a glass of wine

    How to Make Baked Chicken with Marinara Sauce and Cheese

    1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag, remove the air and seal it. Gently pound the chicken a rolling pin or something flat and heavy to flatten the chicken breasts to be the same size.
    2. Add the breadcrumbs, panko, and parmesan cheese in one of the deep dishes and stir everything together. Melt the butter and place it in the other dish to create an assembly line to bread the chicken.
    3. Dip one chicken breast in the butter and then the breadcrumbs and place in the baking dish. Repeat with all of the chicken breasts. Once all of the chicken has been breaded, spray the top of the chicken with a little more oil spray. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
    4. Remove the pan from the oven and spoon some of the sauce on top of each piece of chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil on top. Enjoy!
    baked marinara chicken in a baking dish topped with cheese and fresh basil

    TIP: How to Freeze Tomato Sauce for Later

    One of the things I hate the most is throwing any food away. I try really hard not to waste and one of the things I was wasting was leftover sauce. My solution?? An ice tray! This trick is so easy and I do it all the time.

    Here's what you do: take an old-fashioned ice tray (mine is from the dollar store) and fill it with whatever you want to freeze, in this case, the tomato sauce. Wait until the sauce has completely frozen and then remove it from the tray and put it in a freezer bag until you are ready to use it. When you are ready to use the sauce, just zap it in the microwave.

    • tomato sauce in ice tray
    • frozen tomato sauce cubes
    • microwaved tomato sauce

    We use these frozen bits of sauce for pizza night, recipes like this Baked Chicken Marinara, soups, etc. This also works for citrus juice, fresh herbs in oil, and more!

    More Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes

    • Easy Cioppino Seafood Soup
    • Air Fryer Chimichangas
    • Pesto Chicken with Bruschetta
    • Greek Pita Wraps with Chicken
    • Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken
    baked marinara chicken in a baking dish

    Baked Chicken Marinara

    Baked Chicken Marinara has breaded baked chicken topped with marinara sauce and cheese. An easy weeknight meal that is inexpensive and delicious!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 369kcal
    Author: EmilyFabulous

    Equipment

    • non-stick spray
    • large baking pan
    • 2 deep dishes/bowls for (breading and egg stations)

    Ingredients

    • 4-6 5 ounces chicken breasts, flattened
    • ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
    • ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
    • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 2 tablespoon butter, melted
    • ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
    • ½ cup marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)
    • fresh basil, julienned

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag, remove the air and seal it. Gently pound the chicken a rolling pin or something flat and heavy to flatten the chicken breasts to be the same size. This will help all the chicken breasts cook at the same time.
      chicken breasts in a bag that have been pounded
    • Add the breadcrumbs, panko, and parmesan cheese in one of the deep dishes or a bowl and stir everything together. Melt the butter and place it in the other dish to create an assembly line to bread the chicken.
      butter and breadcrumb stations for baked chicken
    • Dip one chicken breast in the butter and allow the excess to drain off. Next, place the buttered chicken breast in the bread crumb mixture and fully coat the chicken on both sides. Place the breaded chicken in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with all of the chicken breasts. Once all of the chicken has been breaded, spray the top of the chicken with a little more oil spray. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
      breaded chicken in a dish to bake
    • Remove the pan from the oven and spoon some of the sauce on top of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce and return to the oven. Cook for another 5 minutes. I like to broil the top of the chicken for 2-3 minutes at the very end of cooking.
      baked chicken with marinara sauce and cheese on top
    • Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil on top. Enjoy!
      chicken marinara baked with sauce, cheese, and basil on top

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5oz | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.6g | Protein: 39.7g | Fat: 13.5g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 8mg

    Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    baked chicken marinara with cheese and basil
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    Did you Make this Baked Chicken Marinara?

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says

      March 08, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      This is similar to chicken parm, but with less sauce. It looks like a delicious simple meal my family would enjoy!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        March 09, 2021 at 4:55 am

        That's exactly what it is! Super fast, easy and delicious. Your kids will love it!!

        Reply
    2. Jennifer says

      March 06, 2021 at 7:40 pm

      5 stars
      The perfect weeknight dinner!! Loved how easily it came together and best of all, delicious 😋

      Reply
      • Emily says

        March 07, 2021 at 4:33 am

        I'm so glad to hear it, Jennifer, thanks for trying the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Alyssa Hixenbaugh says

      March 06, 2021 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      Looks like a great easy dinner! I love the combination of flavors.

      Reply
      • Emily says

        March 07, 2021 at 4:33 am

        Thanks, Alyssa! This was definitely striving for easy but yummy 😁.

        Reply
    4. Sue says

      March 06, 2021 at 6:52 pm

      5 stars
      I love that this delicious meal can be put together so quickly - perfect for busy weeknights!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        March 06, 2021 at 6:55 pm

        Quick and easy is my favorite way to do dinner!

        Reply

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