This Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan is the way I like chicken Parmesan. Easy! I get rave reviews whenever I serve it and I serve it often.
Be prepared to always get asked for the recipe!
The list of ingredients looks long (and I guess it is) but this really is a simple dish to prepare.
Give this recipe a try and it will become your chicken Parmesan recipe from now on.
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Healthy baked chicken that is also out of this world delicious!
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 16 ounce bottle light Italian dressing
- 1/2 cup light ranch salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons minced garlic divided
- 2 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- olive oil flavored cooking spray
- 1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons dried basil divided
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese grated
The morning or the night before serving, combine Italian dressing, ranch dressing, 3 tablespoons minced garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large zip lock bag.
Squish bag around to combine all the ingredients. Add the chicken breasts to the bag, close and squish until they are well coated in the dressing mixture. Put the bag in a bowl (to prevent spills) and refrigerate all day or overnight up 24 hours.
When ready to cook, Preheat your oven to 400F. Then mix 2 cups Parmesan cheese, with parsley, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the basil and oregano (each).
Spray a large baking dish (big enough for all six breasts) with olive oil cooking spray.
Remove the chicken from the baggie one by one and "dredge" in the cheese and spice mixture, until thoroughly coated. Then place the chicken in a single layer in the dish.
When all the chicken is coated, place it in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until the internal temp is 155F).
While the chicken bakes make the sauce.
Spray the saucepan with olive oil cooking spray (or use 1 tablespoon olive oil but do not use another flavor spray). Then saute the onions and the remaining garlic until tender and onions are translucent.
Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce to the garlic and onions. Stir until smooth. Then add the remaining, oregano and basil and the other spices including the bay leaf. (At this point if the sauce looks too thick for your liking add 1 tomato sauce can of water)
Allow the mixture to simmer for the remainder of the baking time until you need it.
When the chicken has baked 20 minutes, remove from the oven and top each breast with sauce (to your liking, we cover the whole thing) and then top with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese (again to your liking) put the baking dish back into the oven for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Then switch your broiler on to brown the cheese (optional).
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Serve it up, I have never had anyone not finish this!
Tips and Tidbits For Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan
You can definitely speed up the process by using a jarred sauce from the grocery. Personally I prefer homemade but if you like the jarred then use it.
You can kick up the jarred sauce a bit by adding some wine, a can of diced tomatoes, sauteed onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
You could also make the sauce the night before and then just bring it to room temp before cooking.
You can also save time by making a huge batch of the marinara sauce and freezing it so you have it handy for this recipe, pizza, or spaghetti.
Serve it with spaghetti noodles and garlic bread.
Up Next:
Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Be sure to Follow Foodgasm Recipes on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Recipe adapted from one by Sarabeth
Photo by Lori Mama