Chicken in Marinara sauce

What is not to like about juicy chicken breast, soaked in Marinara sauce, topped with healthy spinach and mozzarella cheese.

This is a hit in one pot recipe that is liked by all ages.

All you need to do is gather all the ingredients, add them one by one to a baking tray and leave it to bake for 30 minutes.

That’s your job done!! You can put your feet up and relax!!

Ingredients For Making Baked Chicken Marinara

To make this easy oven baked chicken recipe in marinara sauce you will need the following ingredients:

FRESH AND PANTRY INGREDIENTS

⇒ Chicken breasts – ideally thin cuts

⇒ Marinara sauce – homemade or shop bought

⇒ Spinach – Frozen or fresh

⇒ Mozzarella cheese

⇒ Salt and pepper to taste.

SPICES NEEDED

⇒ Your choice of spice seasoning – I have used my homemade Mediterranean Spice Seasoning. You can get the recipe here. Feel free to use any herb seasoning you have at home.

I told you the ingredients are so easy to get.

OPTIONAL & SUBSTITUTE INGREDIENTS

⇒ Substitute for spinach – The spinach in the recipe is to add nutrients, you can use to omit it or add mushrooms or shredded broccoli instead.

⇒ Read the cooking notes and FAQ section below for vegetarian substitute options

How to Make Chicken In Marinara Sauce – Step with images

STEP 1 

Place the chicken breasts on a baking tray and season it with salt and Mediterranean Spice blend

STEP 2 

Place the frozen spinach on top of the chicken. Read cooking tips notes above if you are using fresh spinach leaves.

STEP 3 

Add the marinara sauce on top of the chicken and spinach. Ensure it coats the chicken well.

STEP 4 

Bake the chicken on 180 degrees ( 350 fahrenheit) for first 15 minutes. Remove from oven and evenly spread mozzarella cheese on top.

STEP 5 

Bake again for another 15 – 20 minutes on the same heat until chicken in cooked and the cheese melted.

STEP 6 

Serve chicken in marinara sauce with your chosen side or on its own.

Cooking Tips & FAQ’s

1. Use thin cut chicken breast or chicken thighs for the flavours to go into the chicken.
2. If you do not get thin chicken breast pieces, pound the flesh a bit to flatten it.
3. Make sure that you season the chicken well. Remember though that marinara sauce is pre-seasoned.
4. The chicken pieces should be well coated with marinara sauce so that you have some leftover sauce in case you wish to eat it with a side.
5. Cover the baking dish with silver foil and bake for first 15 minutes for a saucy juicy consistency. You can remove the foil for the second part of baking.
6. Add mozzarella cheese in the last 8-5 minutes of baking for a bubbling slightly crispy gooey topping. Adding it too early will make the cheese dry.
7.  If using fresh spinach, add it half way through baking the chicken.

Why is this an easy dish to make?

This chicken marinara recipe is actually a child’s play. Anyone, even those with basic to no cooking knowledge can make this dish.

• Easy Ingredients –   You only need 5 easy to buy ingredients to make this dish.  No specialty spices or herbs. Just your stable everyday ingredients does the trick.
• Easy to Prepare –  There is no need to marinade, chop, or cook. Its a simple ‘dump and bake’ cooking process.  You save tons of time without the need to prep or stand over the counter to cook.
• Quick to Cook – Once you have got all the ingredients together in a baking tray you just need to turn on the oven, take your glass of wine or juice and spend some me or family time while waiting for the oven to do the cooking.

What makes this a low carb healthy baked chicken dish?

If you are counting calories and get stuck for easy low carb dinner ideas then this baked chicken recipe ticks all boxes.

• Uses low carb ingredients– Ingredient such as boneless, skinless chicken has less fat content and is protein rich. Mozzarella cheese has less than 1 gram of carb per 1 ounce of serving. These ingredients make is a perfect Keto Baked Chicken Dish.
• Healthy Spinach – To make this dish a complete nutrients packed dish, I have added spinach for veges.
• Oil – free – The chicken is baked without any oil which means it cuts on  the extra fat.
• Spices – The pre blended homemade Mediterranean Spice Seasoning is made with herbs and spices known to have antioxidant properties that build your immune system. You can easily make the blend at home by following the recipe here.

What other variations can be made to make a baked chicken breast?

If you wish to make some changes to the dish to suit you family diet then it is easy to do so.

1. You can use Portobello mushroom for a vegetarian low carb option.
2. Swap Mozzarella with other keto friendly low carb cheese such as Parmesan or Romano cheese. But make sure you add lots of it for a creamy texture.
3. Use any type of tomato sauce even pasta sauce would do.
4. Add other vegetables such as zucchini,olives or button mushrooms instead of spinach.
5. Adding seasoning lifts the flavours. You can omit using one or use any mixed herb seasoning that you may already have.

What to serve as a side with baked chicken marinara?

There are many options of side dishes to serve chicken breast with marinara sauce. Here are some suggestions:

Low carb options – Couscous, tabbouleh, millet, cauliflower rice, other steamed, boiled or roasted veges.

Other side dishes – Pasta, rice, boiled potatoes, spaghetti or linguine