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!
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
How to Make Baked Chicken with Marinara Sauce and Cheese
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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 Chicken Marinara
Equipment
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the fresh basil on top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make this Baked Chicken Marinara?
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Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
This is similar to chicken parm, but with less sauce. It looks like a delicious simple meal my family would enjoy!
Emily says
That's exactly what it is! Super fast, easy and delicious. Your kids will love it!!
Jennifer says
The perfect weeknight dinner!! Loved how easily it came together and best of all, delicious 😋
Emily says
I'm so glad to hear it, Jennifer, thanks for trying the recipe!
Alyssa Hixenbaugh says
Looks like a great easy dinner! I love the combination of flavors.
Emily says
Thanks, Alyssa! This was definitely striving for easy but yummy 😁.
Sue says
I love that this delicious meal can be put together so quickly - perfect for busy weeknights!
Emily says
Quick and easy is my favorite way to do dinner!