Chicken Mozzarella Bake

4.80 from 5 votes
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This Chicken Mozzarella Bake is cheesy, juicy, filling, tomatoey, herby, and absolutely delicious. It’s high protein, keto, and gluten-free.

Cheesy, Italian-flavored, and full of comfort! This mozzarella chicken bake with tomatoes is practically the definition of a guilt-free indulgence! And let me tell you why that is!

Who doesn’t like a juicy meet, a cheesy bake, and a kitchen that smells like your Naples trip? And all of that on a busy weeknight!

chicken mozzarella bake

This dish takes about half an hour in the oven and has minimal prep. That anyone can execute perfectly!

You can serve it with salads, more carbs, or just as it is. And your whole family will be thrilled! Trust me, anyone will love this!

Made with simple ingredients and spices, this has to be one of those easy recipes you write down in your notebook to enjoy for generations to come. I know that’s what I did!

keto chicken mozzarella bake

Ingredients and Substitutes

Chicken breasts (4 breasts) – Use smaller and thinner boneless and skinless breasts. You can always thin them out a little by pounding with a meat tenderizer like this.

Garlic powder (1 tbsp) – You can also use minced garlic here for an even more aromatic bake. But garlic powder is a very convenient spice that will do the job well.

Onion powder (1 tbsp) – To add a more flavorful touch, use the powder.

Italian seasoning (1 tbsp) – You cannot have a mozzarella and tomato bake without having some Italian flavors. Make sure to use Italian seasoning, but basil and oregano can do just as well.

Salt & black pepper (to taste)

Olive oil (2 tbsp)

Chopped tomatoes (16oz) – The recipe calls for canned chopped tomatoes, but feel free to use fresh ones if you have.

Garlic (3 cloves) –Garlic powder will not be as efficient here, but you can substitute with it, if you’ve run out of cloves.

Red onion (1/2 onion) – We use red onions for a more kicking flavor, but the yellow kind will also work.

Oregano (2 tsp) – Fresh or dried leaves will both work here.

Mozzarella (1 cup) – Shredded mozzarella cheese is best here, so I wouldn’t suggest using an alternative.

Basil (2-3 leaves) – Just like the oregano, fresh basil works best, but you can totally use dried leaves.

ingredients for chicken mozzarella bake

How to Make Chicken Mozzarella Bake

Step 1. Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Wash your chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

Make sure the chicken breasts you use are smaller and thinner. If not, you can just pound them out to thin them a little bit. The thinner they are, the more flavor they’ll have

Then, cut squares with a knife but not all the way through, as seen in picture 1 below. Make sure not to cut all the way through.

Step 2. On the chopping board, season the side that has no cuts in it with half of the spices: garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, then salt, and black pepper. Rub them in.

Then, place the cut chicken breast into a baking dish with the cut-up side facing up. Cover with the rest of the seasoning – salt, black pepper, Italian seasonings, onion, and garlic powder. And drizzle with the olive oil.

Rub the seasoning in; the more it gets inside the cuts, the more flavorful the chicken will be.

Step 3. Grab a mixing bowl and add the sauce ingredients there. Chopped tomatoes, garlic, chopped red onion, oregano, salt and black pepper.

Step 4. Make sure to combine all of the sauce ingredients well so they are well incorporated.

Step 5. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken breast.

Step 6. Then, sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese over.

Step 7. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Make sure to put it under the broiler for about 2 minutes at the end.

Keep an eye on it to see that the cheese goldens up but doesn’t burn.

step by step instructions for how to make chicken mozzarella bake

Step 8. Top up with chopped basil.

chicken mozzarella

How to Add More Flavor to Chicken Breasts

Want more flavor in your chicken? Here are ways to increase it:

  1. Pound your chicken out to thin it out before seasoning both sides.
  2. You can always add spices and stronger seasonings like chili or buffalo.
  3. Squeeze over some lemon juice and grate over lemon zest for more acidity.
  4. Add fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
  5. If you have the patience and time, marinate the chicken breasts in the mixture of spices and olive oil for a few hours before cooking.
  6. Brine the chicken in salty water to help it tenderize before cooking. The seasonings will seep in easier.

What to Serve with Mozzarella Chicken

My absolutely favorite thing to serve with mozzarella chicken is garlic bread and a fresh, green salad. Of course, and a glass of cold, dry, white wine, too!

But anything that usually goes well with lighter meat dishes will do fine here, too.

You can serve potatoes, rice, or even pasta. Heck, pasta salad, too! As long as it provides comfort and satisfies your taste buds, the side dish is well-approved!

gluten free chicken mozzarella bake

Watch How to Make

More Healthy Dinners

chicken mozzarella bake
4.80 from 5 votes

Chicken Mozzarella Bake

By Karo @ AllNutritious
This Chicken Mozzarella Bake is cheesy, savory, and flavorful. It's a high-protein dinner recipe you can make in just one pan. Just pop this gluten-free chicken dinner into the oven, and 30 minutes later you've got yourself a perfect keto dish!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 34 minutes
Total: 49 minutes
Servings: 4 chicken breasts

Equipment

Ingredients 

Chicken

  • 4 small chicken breasts skinless, boneless, thin or pounded out
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • Salt & black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce

  • 1 can chopped tomatoes 16 oz
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 red onion finely chopped
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Topping & Garnish

  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • A few basil leaves chopped for garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375F.
  • Take your chicken breasts. Make sure the breasts you use are smaller and thinner, if not, pound them out to ensure they have flavor later on.
  • On a cutting board, make cuts on one side of the chicken breasts without fully cutting through. This will help for the seasonings to get inside the meat.
  • Flip your chicken breasts on the board and sprinkle with half of the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Rub the seasoning in.
  • Place your chicken breasts into a baking dish with the cut-up side facing up.
  • Sprinkle with the remainder of the seasonings so both sides are covered. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Rub it in like you did with the other side. The more seasoning gets inside the cuts, the more flavor there'll be.
  • In a bowl mix together sauce ingredients: chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, red onion, oregano, salt and black pepper.
  • Cover chicken breasts with tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated mozzarella.
  • Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes afterwards to golden up the cheese. Make sure it doesn't burn, so watch the oven.
  • Serve with chopped basil sprinkled over the top.

Recipe Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 chicken breast | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.2g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.9g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 555mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 2.1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.80 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. jackie says:

    5 stars
    making this next week for dinner. Cant wait!

    1. Karo @ AllNutritious says:

      Enjoy! ;>