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A close-up of a spatula lifting a cheesy, golden-brown piece of Creamy Marinara Chicken Bake with visible herbs and creamy sauce from a casserole dish. A person in a striped sweater is holding the spatula.

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!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 936 kcal

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 9x13 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

Calories: 936kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 55gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 1429mgPotassium: 1395mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 2900IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 392mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Chicken, creamy marinara chicken bake, easy chicken, family dinner
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