During this hectic time of year it is important for me to plan easy recipes to fall back on. This simple recipe comes together quickly and is a lower fat alternative to Chicken Parmesan: no frying or breading! This is a one pan meal, which is nice when it comes time to clean up.
I keep the price of this meal low by taking advantage of leftover spaghetti sauce, using homemade croutons (the croutons cost even less if they are made with homemade bread) and leaving out the Parmesan cheese. Gasp! Chicken Parmesan without Parmesan cheese? Absolutely, my kids don’t like it, so I save money by using inexpensive mozzarella, which they do like.
Feel free to use what every cheeses you want when you make this dish.
- splash of olive oil
- 2 - 3 pounds bl/sl chicken breasts or thighs
- basil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder
- 2 cups leftover spaghetti sauce ( Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce)
- 2 cups mozzarella, divided
- 2 -3 cups croutons (how to make croutons)
- Add a splash of olive oil to the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Spread it around with a basting brush. Place chicken in pan. Sprinkle with basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder. Flip the chicken and then sprinkle with spices.
- Pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken.
- Sprinkle one cup of cheese over the spaghetti sauce.
- Layer the croutons over the cheese.
- Sprinkle one cup of cheese over the croutons. Then sprinkle basil, oregano, and thyme over the cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 1 0 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
I serve Baked Chicken Parmesan with a Garden Salad.
What are your easy fall back meals?
Paige says
Are these raw chicken breasts? I didn’t understand the bl/sl reference. I can’t wait to try it but I don’t want to poison my family with undercooked chicken.
Alea Milham says
bs/sl means boneless, skinless chicken. Raw chicken is used in the recipe. It should be cooked through, but use a meat thermometer to check if you have any doubt.
haileys wellness blog says
looks scrumptious would love to try this at dinner time
Debbie says
This was very good, made it tonight. I almost left off the croutons but glad I included them. They made it yummy!
Marsha says
I tried this and it was very good except I used thawed chicken tenders and there was so much liquid in bottom of the pan it diluted the flavor and I had to serve marinara on the side. Will try cooking the chicken first then put on spaghetti sauce and cheese.
Melynda@Moms Sunday Cafe says
This looks great! Love the crouton touch, thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop. PS where is the parmesan?
Jen says
This is a great quick and easy meal. I always need to come up with a way to use up the last of the spaghetti sauce (always have too much). Now I have another way. 🙂
Kristy Lynn @ Gastronomical Sovereignty says
i love the homemade croutons as well and homemade pasta sauce is always a good idea! 🙂
i made something similar last week but substituted portobello mushrooms for the chicken – if you really want to cut back on costs try subbing out the meat – way cheaper and it’s better for the environment.
Tadka Pasta says
Love having a container of pasta sauce in the fridge, there’s so much one can do with it. And this looks like a quick and delicious idea.
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
I really like this recipe. It’s so much quicker and easier than traditional Chicken Parmesan, and it’s in one pan as well. I love the sound of those croutons too – seriously yummy and what a great frugal idea.
Amanda Larson says
I love chicken parm and this looks so easy and better than fried chicken, thanks!
Swathi says
Baked chicken parmesan looks delicious. Last week I made some lasagna with leftover spaghetti sauce. .