You know what always makes dinner taste great? Someone else cooking it.
You know what’s a close second to that?
Making it ahead of time so by the time dinner time arrives, it feels like someone else already prepped it.
Yesterday required a trip down to the South Park area of Charlotte, which is a solid 45 minutes from home. Knowing there is no such thing as a quick trip when you have two kids in tow, I knew it would be a full day, so I somehow managed to be on top on my game and prepped dinner, simple baked Italian chicken, right after eating breakfast.
One of the destinations on our list was South Park mall, which never disappoints. There is a new H&M, an American Girl store and a Pottery Barn Kids that I had to all but drag Hailey out of.
We chowed down on some Chipotle.
And gave Santa one more solid effort.
Despite Kaitlyn’s face, it went better, but clearly still not great.
Anyway, back to the chicken!
I was right in that it was a full day affair, and man was I happy when I arrived home that all I had to do was pop dinner and a spaghetti in a boiling pot kick back any enjoy some tunes while dinner baked.
Then we chowed down on simple baked Italian chicken!
The family vote is that this recipe can stick around for a while; everyone enjoyed it and I loved the easy prep and clean up. Let me know what you think!
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Simple Baked Italian Chicken with Mozzarella
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This baked Italian Chicken dish is an easy and delicious weeknight meal. Prep ahead if you’d like and place in the oven when you are ready and you will have a nutritious home cooked meal that the family all enjoys in no time!
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts, pounded flat (about 2–2.5 lbs)
- 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 28 ounces marinara
- 6 ounces Mozzarella (I use shredded but you can use fresh if you’d like)
- 2 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pound chicken until it is a half an inch thick, then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Sear the chicken, roughly 3 minutes per side.
- Pour the marinara into a 9×13 baking pan.
- Place the cooked chicken breasts in the marinara and top with the mozzarella.
- Evenly distribute the breadcrumbs over the mozzarella, followed by the Italian seasoning and the Parmesan.
- Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for a remaining 10 minutes, until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165.
- Serve over spaghetti with more freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.
What is your favorite prep-ahead meal?
I think our household favorite remains enchiladas, but simple slow cooker pot roast with this overnight kale salad sound pretty great right about now too!
Brynn says
I saw your picture on Instagram last night and started drooling! The only meals I make ahead are soups/chili. Otherwise I like to make chicken, quinoa, baked sweet potatoes and roasted veggies in advance so I can toss things together in no time!
Liv @Healthy Liv says
Yum! This recipe actually reminds me of a grilled chicken parmesan recipe that we make all the time. When I cook, I love making pasta dishes like lasagna in advance 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
I haven’t made lasagna in forever, but I really should! It’s such a great cold weather comfort food!
Ana says
This may be a dumb question, but when you prepped it in the morning, did you leave it on the counter all day or put it in the fridge…? Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
Oops- I should have clarified! I covered it with foil and stuck it in the fridge. Then popped it right into the oven that evening.
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
I agree – food tastes better when someone else makes it. When my husband has a “short” workday, I prep the food before he comes home and then he cooks it. It suits both of us. He hates prepping food and I am often too exhausted to cook after prepping!
My favorite make ahead meals are meals that taste better the second day: pot roast, short ribs, etc. I know — not really make ahead!!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
This looks like a yummy, healthier version of chicken parm. I can’t do the fake noodles, though. Squash and sauce don’t belong together!
Katie says
Me either! The squash is too watery for sauce to be added. But the chicken portion of the recipe is awesome!
Brittany Dixon says
David would agree with you both about the squash 😉 Somehow it works for me, but I want to try zoodles next time just to switch things up. Or (gasp!) maybe just real pasta haha
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy says
It’s crazy how much planning needs to go into a 45 minute trip each way! I feel ya!
Prepping a meal in advance is rewarding! I am so tired by the time dinner comes around I don’t want to do anything. Yesterday I made a spaghetti squash casserole with turned out great too 🙂
Sabrina says
Looks yummy! I’m cheating with dinner tonight. I stopped by this awesome south Philly butcher and picked up chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella and spinach. We have leftover rice from last night and I prepped a big salad early this morning, so dinner is ready to go for us too. It’s the best to not have to prep during that crazy pre-dinner hour.
I just added this dish to my menu for next week, but with zucchini “pasta” instead since that’s Trig’s preference. Thanks for sharing!
Jen@jpabstfitness says
Drooling.
Alex @ get big, go to work says
I want to give zoodles a try too. I see them in nearly every meatball or chicken parm recipe, and I want to know if they are any good! I feel like it’s the new spaghetti squash noodle almost-after looking at Pinterest! My favorite make ahead meal is crockpot chili-but that’s mainly because I need to expand my horizons and try some new recipes! Definitely need to try those enchiladas.
Stephanie says
That looks like a great meal! You were so smart to plan ahead like that! I was wondering when you cooked the squash, and if you need to add cooking time when you’ve refrigerated the meal?
Matt says
Looks delicious!
Gary Brennan says
Wow great idea! Made in an easy and simple way but looks yummy and of course healthy. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Liz says
Thank you Brittany for the nice recipe. Happy Holidays to you a your family.