You've gotta love easy chicken recipes like this one! Just 30 minutes and it's ready to eat!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Super easy dinner recipe—make it in 30 minutes (or less!)
- A great way to sneak some spinach into your family's meal.
- Features a seasoned blend of parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese—the tastiest Italian trio!
This delicious chicken recipe features simple ingredients that come together to create a symphony of flavor!
The way the gooey cheese melts into the flavorful pasta sauce is sure to have you singing with joy—just don't do so with your mouth full!
This is the easy way to make ricotta stuffed chicken! Tastes just as good but takes just seconds to prep!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, spinach, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
- Top the boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the spinach mixture.
- Spoon tomato sauce over top of the chicken. Bake.
- Sprinkle chicken with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Place bake in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
🥫 Storage
Baked ricotta chicken is SO good, you'll definitely want leftovers for lunch tomorrow. There's just something about cheesy meals that taste so great the next day.
Store your leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It'll last for three to four days.
Then, just warm it in the microwave until it's steaming hot. (Don't forget to cover it with a paper towel to avoid sauce splatter!)
Freezing and reheating cooked chicken tends to change the texture and dry it out, so I don't recommend freezing your leftovers. However, you can freeze this dish before baking (see FAQs below for those instructions!)
📖 Variations
- Swap boneless chicken thighs for the skinless boneless chicken breasts if you prefer dark meat. Cooking time may vary, so temp-test it carefully!
- If you have time in advance, you can marinate your chicken with your favorite marinade or an Italian dressing. The acidity helps to tenderize the chicken breasts.
- I prefer the texture of whole milk ricotta, but if you're looking for a (slightly more) healthy option, you could use part-skim.
- If you run out of ricotta cheese, you can add some cream cheese into the blend to make up the missing measurement (but I wouldn't substitute it entirely!)
- Fresh spinach is delicious, but you can use frozen spinach and no one will be able to tell the difference!
- Use your favorite marinara sauce, including spicy or flavored versions. Or, go homemade (like this yummy vodka sauce!)
- Supplement your parmesan with some romano or pecorino cheeses, if you have them.
- Add some red pepper flakes if you prefer your meal with a bit of heat.
- Garnish baked ricotta chicken with fresh basil or parsley.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Test chicken dishes like this one for doneness with a meat thermometer—it's cooked when the breast meat reaches 160°F. Then, let it properly rest (5-10 minutes.) This is the key to super moist, flavorful meat! By letting the chicken rest, the juices can evenly redistribute (rather than leak out) making each bite tender, moist, and delicious.
- For best results, pat chicken dry with paper towels to help the cheese mixture stick better (and remove any yucky preserving liquid.)
- Most store-bought ricottas tend to be a bit watery. Place a cheesecloth in a sieve and set it over a bowl. Then, put the ricotta in the sieve and cover it with some plastic. Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours to drain the excess water from the cheese. This way, you'll have an extra luscious, creamy ricotta cheese topping. Yum!
👩🍳 FAQs
Absolutely! Prepare the recipe as directed, but, before baking, cover it with foil. You can then refrigerate the dish for a few days (depending on the "use by" date of your chicken.) Uncover the dish and bake when you're ready to eat! It's my favorite way to make meal planning on busy days even easier!
Sure thing! Carefully wrap the uncooked dish in a double layer of plastic or foil and freeze for up to three months. Be sure to let the ricotta chicken thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before putting it in your preheated oven. (You should never put cold glass into a hot oven, so it's best to use foil roasting dishes instead of a ceramic or glass baking dish.)
To save time in a pinch, you can. However, just be aware that pre-minced garlic and garlic powder usually aren't quite as flavorful as fresh garlic cloves. I find that they lack the authentic, classic taste for which Italian cuisine is known!
Actually, they're all quite similar—minus the "stuffing" step and the noodles! I don't know about you, but I rarely have the time (or patience) to fiddle with stuffing individual chicken breasts or dozens of finicky pieces of pasta. I love this recipe because you basically just mix up the yummy ingredients, throw them in a baking dish, and cook!
📚 Related recipes
- This Baked Eggplant Parmesan tastes just like the classic recipe, but with an easier, healthier twist!
- Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole is a cheesy, beefy, crowd-pleaser—plus, it actually does feed a crowd!
- Keto or not, when craving a creamy, decadent chicken dish, Keto Tuscan Chicken is a must-try (just add noodles if you're pro-carb!)
🍽️ Serve with...
- Italian Green Bean Salad with Potatoes
- Super Soft Homemade Rolls
- Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake (Mayo is the key ingredient—don't knock it 'til you try it!!)
📞 The last word
This easy dinner recipe is perfect year 'round! You can assemble it ahead of time and just toss it in the oven when you're ready to eat.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Baked Ricotta Chicken
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese, (15-16 ounces whole milk ricotta- about 2 cups)
- 1 cup spinach, chopped
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided use)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated (divided use)
- 2 cups marinara sauce, I used spicy Arrabiata sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix Mozzarella and Parmesan together in a medium bowl.
- In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, cheese, spinach, half the garlic, and Italian seasoning until combined.
- Oil a 13x9-inch baking dish with olive oil or spray with no stick cooking spray.
- Add the chicken breasts in a single layer to the pan.
- Season with salt, pepper, and remaining garlic.
- Spread the ricotta and spinach mixture over the top of the chicken breasts in an even layer.
- Cover completely with the marinara.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the thickest section of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Remove from oven, add the remaining cheese mixture and place back in the oven until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Test chicken dishes like this one for doneness with a meat thermometer—it's cooked when the breast meat reaches 160°F. Then, let it properly rest (5-10 minutes).
- For best results, pat chicken dry with paper towels to help the cheese mixture stick better (and remove any yucky preserving liquid.
- Most store-bought ricottas tend to be a bit watery. Place a cheesecloth in a sieve and set it over a bowl. Then, put the ricotta in the sieve and cover it with some plastic. Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours to drain the excess water from the cheese. This way, you'll have an extra luscious, creamy ricotta cheese topping. Yum!
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