Creamy Marinara Chicken Bake 🍃
Everyone has their preference on their favorite type of chicken to cook. In this recipe I used chicken breasts, but my favorite is dark meat, chicken thighs. Why? Because they are so juicy, flavorful, and easy to make. However, chicken breasts is most people’s favorite and I do enjoy chicken breasts, this is my favorite way to make it in the oven so it comes out moist, juicy, and tender.
This is such an easy method and your chicken is going to come out perfectly. Smoothed in a tuscan cream cheese mixture and baked at the perfect temperature in the oven. This Creamy Marinara Chicken Bake is delicious enough for the weekend and easy enough for a weeknight. Let’s Make it!
STAUB Ceramics Rectangular Baking Dish Set is my go to baking dish set for all my chicken bake recipes. What sets this set apart is the attention to detail in design. The sleek rectangular shape and vibrant color options make it a stylish addition to any kitchen. This baking dish ensures even heat distribution which gives me confidence my dish will be delicious.
The two main seasonings I used for this Creamy Marinara Chicken Bake were Garlic Powder and Italian Herb Seasoning.
I love using this Rao’s Marinara Sauce for all my easy family dinners.
🗒 More Delicious Chicken Bake Recipes
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
🤔 Common Questions
I paired mine with pasta, but it also pairs well with rice or a side salad. Garlic bread is also a great addition!
You can substitute the cream cheese for Boursin cheese, goat cheese, or any flavored cream cheese.
🎥 Items featured in Video
Creamy Marinara Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts butterflied
- 1 lb Orecchiette or any type of pasta
- 8 oz whipped or regular cream cheese softened (I used whipped)
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 24 oz marinara divided
- 2 tsp garlic powder divided
- 2 tsp italian herb seasoning divided
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp grated pecorino romano divided
- 5-6 oz freshly shredded mozzarella
- Salt & cracked black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley divided
- 10 leaves of basil ripped up
Instructions
- Butterfly your chicken breasts and place them in a greased 9×13 baking dish. (Make sure they have some space between them and aren’t touching each other)
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and season them with 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp italian herb seasoning, salt & pepper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add cream cheese, minced garlic, chopped baby spinach, ripped up basil, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, salt & cracked black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp italian herb seasoning, ¼ cup grated pecorino romano, and 3 tbsp of marinara sauce (save the remaining marinara in the jar for later). Mix everything together until combined.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly over all the pieces of chicken and smooth it out to cover the entire piece. Then sprinkle over the freshly shredded mozzarella and about 1 tbsp grated pecorino romano. Also, sprinkle some cracked black pepper and about 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley over the top.
- Place the baking dish in the oven at 400°F and bake for 30 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to boil, salt the water, and boil your pasta of choice until al dente. Heat up the remaining marinara sauce in a small pot and then stir in the al dente noodles.
- Once the chicken is done, serve it over the marinara pasta. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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I want to make this without any pasta….is it going to be a fail??
It will not! No pasta needed!
OMG, this recipe is soooo good. I made it yesterday without the pasta and the entire fam loved it. It will be in our weekly rotation for sure. I may even make it for the holiday’s! It was THAT good. Thank you!!!
I’m so very happy you enjoyed:-)