Italian Chicken Bake

This recipe for Italian baked chicken comes together in about 45 minutes. It’s an easy weeknight meal and or kid-friendly dinner.

A few months ago, a friend of mine posted photos of this meal and I immediately asked her for the recipe. She said that it was really easy to make and that she had found the recipe online.

Once she sent it to me, I realized that I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, and knew this was a meal I could easily put together, too.

Over the years, I’ve grown to LOVE pesto. Although I’ve never made it from scratch, I’ve found that the jar variety is still full of flavor! Another variation of this recipe is to saute and dice chicken breast, then mix it with cooked penne pasta and pesto. It’s delicious!

One of the ways I feed my family without going crazy is fixing simple meals made from ingredients that I always have in my kitchen like Buffalo Chicken Salad, Chicken Mozzarella Pasta, or Fried Bow Tie Pasta With Marinara Dipping Sauce.

You could easily prepare this on the weekend (and reheat it during the week), make a double batch and freeze (topping with the tomato and cheese before baking), or make an easy weeknight meal.

Ready to make Italian Chicken Bake for your family?

Here is what you need:

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4-6 Tablespoons Prepared Pesto
1-2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Cup Italian Cheese Blend or Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Mrs. Dash (for seasoning)

Step 1: Sprinkle Mrs. Dash seasoning on the chicken.

Step 2: Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of prepared pesto over chicken. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Step 3: Slice tomatoes into 1/2″ thick slices and lay them on top of the pesto. Bake another 20 minutes.

Step 4: Sprinkle mozzarella (or Italian blend cheese) over the tomato-basil chicken. Put dish back into the oven, uncovered, and cook 5 minutes more until the cheese is melted. To lightly brown the cheese, you can broil the dish for another 2-3 minutes more. Ahem. Make sure you stay close by the oven ;).

Serve over pasta with a fresh, garden salad.

RECIPE FOR ITALIAN CHICKEN BAKE

Description: This recipe for Italian baked chicken comes together in about 45 minutes. It’s an easy weeknight meal and or kid-friendly dinner.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4-6 Tablespoons Prepared Pesto
1-2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Cup Italian Cheese Blend or Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Mrs. Dash (for seasoning)

DIRECTIONS

1. Sprinkle Mrs. Dash seasoning on the chicken.
2. Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of prepared pesto over chicken. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
3. Slice tomatoes into 1/2″ thick slices and lay them on top of the pesto. Bake another 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle mozzarella (or Italian blend cheese) over the tomato-basil chicken. Put dish back into the oven, uncovered, and cook 5 minutes more until the cheese is melted. To lightly brown the cheese, you can broil the dish for another 2-3 minutes more. Ahem. Make sure you stay close by the oven ;).

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 4

Serve with or over pasta with a fresh, garden salad.