Baked Chicken Marinara
The Best Baked Chicken Marinara recipe is made with breaded chicken topped with a tomato basil marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese!

I love finding new ways to sass up a family favourite meal. Especially when it’s an easy recipe.
Take the classic Chicken Parmesan for instance. When I make this dish, I use whatever spaghetti or pasta sauce that I have on hand. Yet, I really have to spice it up to make it robust.
A while back I had a jar of Marinara sauce to use up {from making my Zucchini Fries recipe}, and thought it would make a killer sauce for Breaded and Baked Chicken – score!
The flavour in this Baked Chicken Marinara recipe is THE BOMB. It’s the perfect weeknight meal.
So if you are looking for easy dinner ideas, I got you!
The whole family said it’s ‘better than our favourite pasta restaurant’.
In fact, the kids requested it again just a few days later for another weeknight dinner. Even the picky eaters!
I am a complete pasta-lover, so it’s no surprise that this has become one of my favourite recipes – ever.
Follow the recipe, complete with my tips to make one of our favorite recipes a success.
I’m sure it’s going to be your new favorite dish as well, and your go-to dinner often.

What’s the difference between chicken marinara and chicken parmesan?
They are quite similar, yet not exactly the same. Chicken parmesan is typically breaded and fried and typically uses a tomato sauce. This recipe is baked not fried and uses a marinara sauce instead.
Ingredients Required
This easy recipe takes simple ingredients. As always the full steps for making easy chicken marinara are on the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
- boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half to make thinner chicken cutlets
- breadcrumbs or panko bread crumbs
- parmesan cheese
- dried oregano
- melted butter, or olive oil
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- marinara sauce
- fresh basil for garnish, optional but recommended

How to Make this Recipe
Preheat oven to 450° and spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. You can also line a baking sheet with parchment paper instead.
Have the pan right next to what will be the breading station, or the assembly line to coat the chicken and place on pan. You will want both at arms reach.
Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and oregano in a shallow bowl or deep plate. Melt the butter in a seperate bowl or deep plate.
Dip the chicken into the butter and then into the breadcrumb mixture, coating all sides of the chicken.
Place coated chicken on prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces placing them in a spaced single layer.
Cook for 20 minutes, turning over if desired at 10 minutes.
For best results, use a meat thermometer to be certain the baked chicken breasts are cooked. The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165 degrees.
Remove the golden brown crispy chicken from the oven, and spoon marinara sauce on top of the chicken. Then top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Place the baking dish back in the oven and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top with fresh chopped basic, Italian seasoning, or additional parmesan cheese (optional), and serve.

What to Serve with Marinara Chicken
We love to serve our favorite recipe with pasta such as cooked angel hair pasta, penne pasta, fettuccini or spaghetti. A side salad and garlic bread are always great options as well.
This tasty meal is great for special occasions to an easy weeknight meal.
Chicken Marinara Sauce Recipe
Marinara is a simple sauce seasoned only with garlic, crushed red pepper and basil. The seasoning for homemade marinara sauce is more robust and flavourful than a tomato sauce.
Tomato sauce (typically used in a chicken parm recipe)contains way more ingredients including vegetables and usually salt pork so the seasonings are more muted.
Storage
Place leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
If you have leftovers for the next day, just add more marinara sauce to the bottom of a deep dish and re-bake until a desired temp has been reached.
When it’s done re-heating, I add more cheese to the top and bake uncovered until it melts. Yes, I said even more cheese. How could you not?
More Pasta Dishes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
- One-Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
- Baked Feta Pasta with Chicken – TikTok Recipe
- Chicken and Spinach Pasta Casserole

Baked Chicken Marinara
Baked Chicken Marinara chicken pieces coated with Parmesan and bread crumbs, fried and covered with a tomato basil marinara sauce, and topped with melted Mozzarella.
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breast, sliced in half to make 8
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 3 tbsp Butter, or olive oil, melted
- 3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cup Marinara Sauce
- Fresh chopped Basil for garnish {optional but recommended}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° and spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and oregano in a shallow bowl or deep plate
- Melt the butter in another shallow bowl or deep plate
- Dip the chicken into the butter and then into the dry mixture.
- Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Cook for 20 minutes, turning over if desired at 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spoon marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with preferred amount of mozzarella cheese
- Place back in the over and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted
- Serve warm oven cooked pasta noodles with a sprinkle of Basil
Notes
~ You have to half each chicken breast to make 2 - or else it won't cook evenly and you might have an undercooked middle with burnt edges.
~The chopped basil is optional yet it does give a really nice flavour to the meal, I would personally make a trip to the store to get some if necessary, I very much like what it adds to the dish
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 562Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 1069mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 50g

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Looks delicious!!
Looks amazing except I would go with unbreaded chicken!
Easy enough to alter for preference!!
😉
Sounds simple but delicious. A good way to get me to eat chicken breast for sure.
This recipe combines all of my favorites, printing it off for the weekend. Thanks!
🙂 Mine too!!
omg totally making this!!!
Oh this looks amazing, thank you so much for sharing! I guess I know what’s dinner tomorrow night!
Let me know what you think once you’ve tried it Darlene!
😉
Looks yummy, now I’m craving pasta.
I’m constantly craving pasta! Mmmm pasta!
When your family love, you know it’s a winner. Thanks for another great recipe Tammi!
YES!! So very true!
omg this looks so good.. I think I’m going to make this soon
This sounds really good, I just pinned it. Will definitely be on the menu once we get through the holidays! Love Chicken Parm!
Hubby loves veal parm but it is so expensive. Chicken has a nice texture and gives the parm flavour that he loves. I am stuck with my own recipe but I am giving this one a shot. Thank you.
Enjoy Debbie, I think he’ll love it!
😉
I’m so making this soon! YUM!
Oh that looks wonderful. We love pasta in our house and this looks like an awesome recipe.
It is SOO delicious!!
yum looks good, thank you
Simple and delicious- a great combination!
Simple but elegant. Can’t wait to try it on my family!
Enjoy!
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That looks good! I want to try this very soon.
and you really should!
😉
that looks amazing1
It’s a really good meal!!!
YUM!
oh my gosh, this looks so yummy, and fairly easy to make also!!
Looks lengthy but it’s worth it!
sounds really good. I love the taste of basil my fav herb
It definitely makes the recipe!
sounds yummy and easy!!
This looks sooo good! Thank you for the recipe!
You are very welcome, enjoy!!
😉
This sounds yummy. My husband has fresh basil growing in a pot in the kitchen.
Oh perfect!!
This looks and sounds absolutely drool-worthy!
I am going to try this.. I am always looking for new chicken recipes!
And I think you’ll fall in love!
😉
That looks amazing! I will have to try it out on my husband 🙂
Let me know what he thinks!
😉
I love how quick and easy this is as compared to some ‘traditional’ chicken parmesan recipes. The end results looks and sounds delicious!
The pictures could never do it justice – so good!!
Yum sounds really good
It’s divine!
I’m a huge chicken parm fan, but I don’t make it very often (because I fry the chicken) I love this because it’s baked, and definitely easy!
Oh yes, the oven will make it easier for you and still get that crispy outside
Noodles and chicken are 2 of the few things my kids love. Inspiration for a future dinner.
Mmmmm!
😉
This looks great and sounds very easy to make. I have to make this as I am a pasta lover too!
I do love my pasta!
That sounds delicious! Your photo is really good!
Thanks Victoria!
I love pasta!! This recipe is nice with the chicken prepared and on top like that.
Yum! This looks good (and easy!). I’m pinning it!
Thanks Jennifer!
ive always thought chicken parm was a lot harder to make, this makes it seem so easy! Thanks for the great recipe
This looks so appetizing & fairly easy to make. And YES to more cheese please! (I pinned this recipe, thanks!)
You can never have enough cheese – thanks for the pin!
Looks very yummy and I love how simple it seems to make. I am not a very advanced cook so I love things that look fairly easy to make.
This is fairly straight forward, you can do it!!
🙂
yummy 🙂
Looks delicious!
i’m going to have to try this recipie! it looks amazing!
Let me know what you think when you do Natasha!
looks so yummy
Not something I wouldve thought to make at home… thanks for sharing
Yummy I’m totally going to try this recipe thanks for sharing!
Baked Chicken Marinara looks so yummy!
marvellous! And to think there was no such thing as pasta for us as children, I can’t even remember there ever being rice, it was always potatoes. I really must make this – it’d be a double portion for me (one breast) but I’m sure I can freeze the other half for another day. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sounds yummy! Can not go wrong with cheese cheese and more cheese!
Yummy. !
Your dish looks so delicious, I am a pasta fan too. The recipe is pretty easy which is surprising because it looks so awesome. I know that Hubs would really enjoy this meal.
I would love this and I do think basil is awesome with pasta!
Mmmmm….!!! looks good
i never thought to dip in butter and then in the crumbs..great idea
Looks amazing, great idea for pasta night
Bookmarking! It should be interesting to try… I never dipped chicken in butter prior to coating and baking… eggs, mayo, mustard, but never thought of butter…
Sounds and looks yummy. and it probably tastes just as good the second day!
sounds great!!
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
this looks so amazing a must try for sure
I , too, love Pasta and this sounds like a delicious recipe. I love Basil as well. This would be a splendid meal on a Cold day for sure.
Sounds delish! I haven’t tried to make this one yet at home but will definitely give it a try.
This looks so yummy, thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing. Will try it!
MMM that looks like a delish dish to try in the new year!
Excellent post this looks really lovely and so easy so a sure winner for me and mine!
This looks delicious and is one of my favorite meals. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Sounds good. Thanks for the tip about slicing the breasts in half – I think I’ll try that with some of my other chicken breast recipes too.
I know I’ll enjoy making your recipe because love Chicken Parmigiana and Pasta…you have included everything I love and with Marinara sauce and cheese..I’m in heaven!!!
We tried it over the holidays and loved it 🙂
Looks delicious!
Looks delicious and makes me hungry just looking at vit,i will make this soon
this looks so yummy!!
Oh My!! This looks so delicious! I am a pasta lover as well so I think I will save this recipe to try next week.