This easy Mozzarella Chicken is the best weeknight dinner the whole family will love. Perfectly pan seared chicken breasts that are smothered in homemade tomato sauce and topped with melted fresh mozzarella cheese. A one-pan dinner and a low-carb dream recipe!
Easy One Skillet Chicken Mozzarella Bake
My Mozzarella Chicken Bake is a tasty weeknight dinner that only uses a single skillet and only takes about 10 minutes to prep. It’s simple to make on the stovetop and with just one pan, clean up is a breeze. It’s full of flavor, it’s hearty and filling and great for leftovers, too!
Why We Love This Skillet Chicken and Mozzarella Bake Recipe
- Quick and easy to make – only a 10 minute prep time.
- Uses healthy, fresh ingredients.
- Perfect for a weeknight family dinner.
- Delicious served as leftovers.
- Super easy clean up -only 1 skillet needed for this recipe!
- Low-carb chicken recipe.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Boneless, skinless chicken
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic -you could also use jarred minced garlic if you don’t have fresh garlic.
- Canned, crushed tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Dried Italian seasoning
- Granulated sugar
- Onion powder
- Parmesan cheese
- Heavy cream -you can use 2% or whole milk if you don’t have heavy cream.
- Fresh mozzarella
- Fresh parsley
Substitutions and Additions
- FRESH SPINACH: A simple, delicious, and healthy addition to the sauce is to mix a cup of spinach in it.
- JARRED ROASTED RED PEPPERS: For a bit of a kick, jarred roasted red peppers can be added to the tomato sauce. You could also add red pepper flakes if you really like things spicy.
- MOZZARELLA: You can substitute shredded mozzarella for fresh, but it will not give the same creaminess as the fresh mozzarella.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
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How to Make Mozzarella Chicken Skillet
This recipe is so simple and since it only uses a single skillet, the clean up is just as easy as the cooking process. In under an hour you have a delicious dinner for the whole family to enjoy.
- Lay the chicken breast on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken breast in a skillet on the stovetop (about 5-8 minutes for each side).
- Using the same skillet, cook the minced garlic. Then add crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, Italian seasoning, sugar, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the parmesan and heavy cream.
- Add chicken breast to the tomato sauce. Cover and continue to simmer for about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and add 1 slice of fresh mozzarella to each piece of chicken.
- Broil in the oven for 5-7 minutes.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: This chicken bake can be frozen for up to 1 months in an airtight container. Let it thaw out in the fridge and microwave to heat.
- To Reheat: This is great for leftovers and reheating it is a breeze. Simply pop it in the microwave, cover it, and reheat to your preferred temp.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve this over your favorite type of pasta, steamed veggies, or rice. Because it lacks vegetables, I like to serve it with a big, hearty salad. The sauce is also delicious for dipping garlic cheese bread into.
I wouldn’t recommend making it too far in advance because it’s best fresh and hot. However, if you want to speed things up, you could pre-cook the chicken in advance so it’s ready to go. Then, just add your sauce and cheese, heat, and you’ve got dinner ready to serve!
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
- Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie Hand Pies
- Baked Crack Chicken
- Diet Coke Chicken
- Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken
Mozzarella Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6-8 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp rough chopped fresh basil
- 2 tsp dried italian seasoning
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 6 slices fresh sliced mozzarella
- 1 tsp freshly chopped flat parsley
Instructions
- Using a baking sheet, lay the chicken breast on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with the salt and pepper.
- Using an oven safe 12 inch skillet, heat the 2 tablespoon olive oil over a medium-high heat.
- Cook the breast, covered for 5 – 8 minutes per side.
- Remove the breasts to a baking sheet.
- Lower the stove top temperature to medium-low.
- Add the fresh minced garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, fresh basil, dried italian seasoning, sugar, onion powder, kosher salt, cracked pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the chicken breast to the tomato sauce. Cover and continue to simmer, covered for 5 – 8 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Lay 1 slice of fresh mozzarella on each chicken breast.
- Broil for 5 – 7 minutes, until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, and allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: This chicken bake can be frozen for up to 1 months in an airtight container. Let it thaw out in the fridge and microwave to heat.
- To Reheat: This is great for leftovers and reheating it is a breeze. Simply pop it in the microwave, cover it, and reheat to your preferred temp.
busy busy im going to try w salsa as base that way wont have to add so many ingredients quick…