One of the most loved Italian-American dishes, Chicken Marinara is a popular family favorite. Even the pickiest children are usually happy to eat this and it doesn’t disappoint many adults, either. There are many different ways to make it, and I’m focusing on one of the simplest methods for dinner on a busy weeknight: a chicken marinara pasta bake.
What Is Chicken Marinara?
Chicken marinara is simply chicken cooked and served in a tomato marinara sauce. There are a number of different dishes that fit the description. Sometimes the chicken is pan-fried and sometimes it’s baked; sometimes it’s served on a bed of spaghetti or sometimes with mashed potatoes. It might be a whole chicken breast, or it might be shredded or chopped into pieces. But it is always in a rich, tomatoey sauce, and almost always with cheese and Italian herbs.
How to Make Chicken Marinara Pasta Bake
It’s a very simple set of ingredients that are widely available from any grocery store. You can swap out the cheese for alternative varieties if you like – I would use up odds and ends from my refrigerator before buying anything especially. You just want a cheese that melts nicely, like mozzarella, and another one with a serious flavor boost, like parmesan. For a super-quick and easy dinner, store-bought marinara sauce is fine. But even better if you have the chance to make it yourself. I’ve got a great homemade tomato sauce recipe for you here.
Cooking the Chicken
Because the dish won’t be in the oven for very long, the chicken needs to be cooked in advance. This has the added benefit of sealing the outside and adding lots of delicious flavor. You have plenty of time to do this while the pasta is cooking. I prefer to leave the skin on because it’s SO delicious. But you can remove it if you prefer.
In order to get the skin nice and crispy, you’ll need your pan to be hot. This means you run the risk of it burning on the outside before the chicken breast is cooked all the way through. I solve this problem by slicing the chicken in half horizontally, midway through the process. This is also the perfect time to season it and sprinkle over the oregano.
The Chicken Marinara Mix
Once your chicken is cooked, chop it into chunks and mix with the cooked pasta, marinara sauce, and the herbs. I add in the rosemary sprig whole, plus the basil stalks. Basil leaves tend to lose their flavor and aroma quickly when cooked, but the stalks are a different story, adding a lovely peppery basil depth to the taste. After mixing, have a quick taste as well, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Remember that the cheese is quite salty as well, though!
The Cheese Factor
Possibly the best bit of all… the crunchy cheesy crust. You’re going to want at least two types of cheese, shredded or grated to scatter over the top. Mozzarella – buffalo if possible – is one of the best cheeses to use for its stringy, gooey meltiness. Provolone, fontina, or taleggio are all good substitutions, or even plain old cheddar. You also want a salty cheese packed full of umami. That’s parmesan, of course, but you could sub in pecorino for a sharper flavor, or grana padano for a milder one. Scatter over some breadcrumbs as well for an amazing crunch.
Preparing Chicken Marinara in Advance
After assembling, you can cover and store in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight to bake the following day. The baking times given below assume you’re baking it immediately; add on 10 minutes or so if it’s cold from the fridge.
I do like it best when fresh from the oven, but you can also bake it in advance and reheat it in the microwave. You’ll lose a little of the textured crunch, but it will still taste very good.
And More…
Looking for more Italian-American classics? I’ve got you covered:
Conclusion
Need to keep everyone happy with a hearty family favorite? You really can’t go wrong with Chicken Marinara. Served in a pasta bake, it’s a real crowd-pleaser, with fragrant tomato flavor, richly cheesy and with rib-sticking pasta enough to warm from the inside out. How do you like to serve yours?
Chicken Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tsp oregano
- 8 oz pasta
- 1.5 cups marinara tomato sauce
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 sprigs basil leaves and stems separated
- 4 oz mozzarella
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp parmesan grated
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the chicken breast, skin side down. Fry for about 5 minutes, until crispy, then fry for a further 3-4 minutes on the reverse side.
- Slice the chicken in half horizontally. Scatter with oregano and fry raw side down for 1-2 minutes, to seal the edges. Leave to cool, then cut into chunks.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta according to packaging instructions until al dente.
- Mix the pasta with the chicken, marinara sauce, basil stems and rosemary. Transfer to a baking dish.
- Scatter over the torn mozzarella, followed by the bread crumbs and parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbling at the edges.
- Serve hot, garnished with the basil leaves
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