Italian Style Balsamic Marinated Chicken With Mozzarella

Here’s an easy chicken dinner idea… Italian style balsamic marinated chicken with mozzarella is so tasty and fast to make. This baked mozzarella chicken is ready in 30 minutes.

As you know, I’m a busy mom obsessed with cooking restaurant-style dinners at home. And that’s why I am happy to partner with Annie’s Dressings and Whole Foods to bring this sponsored recipe to you.

This simple recipe is low on cook time and high on flavor, and allows me to bring a healthy meal to the table with hardly any fuss. For a balanced dinner, I’d serve with sides like make-ahead Caprese salad, and sous vide corn on the cob with this balsamic baked chicken.

Ingredients for balsamic marinated chicken with mozzarella

For this balsamic chicken with mozzarella, you’ll need a jar of Annie’s Balsamic Dressing and two boneless skinless chicken breasts. You also want to have olive oil on hand, and slices of fresh mozzarella to finish it up.

How to make balsamic marinated chicken with mozzarella

Step 1. Start by placing your chicken breasts in a large bowl, adding in your balsamic dressing, and stir to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and store in the refrigerator for an hour. If you’d prefer, you can do this step the day before and refrigerate overnight.

Step 2. Preheat oven to 400°F, and while that is heating, place a large oven-safe saute pan on the stove on medium-high. Pour in a little olive oil.

Step 3. When your oil is hot and shiny, add in the chicken breasts, sprinkling with a little salt and pepper as you do so. You’ll want to sear each side till golden brown; about three minutes.

Step 4. Now take the saute pan and pop the whole thing in the oven.

For an even cook you’ll have to turn your chicken pieces over once, but figure three minutes of oven time on each side. When finished, the internal temp of the chicken should reach 165°F.

Step 5. Pull the saute pan out briefly and add a layer of mozzarella cheese to each piece of chicken breast. Stick it back in the oven and broil on high for about three minutes, or until the cheese melts

Step 6. Serve immediately or place your chicken on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Plate with a few fresh basil leaves topping each piece.

Isn’t this a perfect chicken main dish?

I know I’m not exactly doing rocket science over here, but I think being able to serve up a delicious dinner is something to celebrate.

My chicken skills were really perfected when I started dating and then married chef hubs. I was completely sold on the fact that you don’t need to be in a professional chef’s kitchen to serve up amazing food.

When we’re looking for new ways to dress up the same ol’ chicken dishes (not that there is anything LESS than spectacular about this balsamic dressing chicken breast), I find some simple swaps make a big difference.

For instance, I’ll switch out the basil leaves on top of the mozzarella with sauteed mushrooms with thyme, fresh tomato slices, roasted cherry tomatoes, or red wine caramelized onions.

Have leftover marinated chicken?

I love making chicken sandwiches for work lunch the next day. Leftover chicken is also perfect for topping frozen premade pizza crust or making bbq chicken pizza on store-bought dough.

Serving suggestions for balsamic chicken dinners

We love eating sandwiches on delicious, gourmet, rolls in my house. With those different oven baked chicken toppings in mind, Caprese chicken sandwiches always hit the spot.

In ~20 minutes, you can have a tasty side dish everyone will love. See how to make tomato pesto pasta salad.

For super-easy nights, we serve chicken with sides like make-ahead Caprese salad, and sous vide corn on the cob. It also pairs really well with this veggie packed spinach pesto pasta.

If we’re doing a Sunday dinner or feeling like we need a “lil somethin’ extra”, we’ll make this chicken and dessert pairing: an Italian style dessert like this lemon olive oil cake.

If you’re new to cooking chicken at home, see this tutorial on making 20 minute chicken breast on the stove or easy  sous vide chicken breast.

Kitchen staples for easy chicken dinners

• My 8″ Shun chef’s knife makes meal prep fun and easy.
• A nice clean work station like these bamboo cutting boards.
• My beautiful Acadia wood cutting board.
• These mixing bowls come with lids, which is great for marinating chicken or refrigerating make-ahead salads.
• I love this baking pan set for cooking homemade pizza

Final tips for making marinated chicken with mozzarella

• Making this balsamic chicken dish ahead is easy: prepare the chicken up to step four, then refrigerate and do the last broil right before you want to eat.
• Use leftovers in sandwiches or on homemade pizza the next day.
• Top with fresh herbs, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, or caramelized onions.

Add big flavor with DIY condiments

• Creamy peppercorn sauce
• Amp up Alfredo sauce from a jar
• Jalapeno ranch dressing
• Tomato sauce from crushed tomatoes
• Cilantro lime dressing
• Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic dressing
• Sous vide steak marinade
• Sous vide chicken breast marinade

Are you a foodie, too?

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Find new ways to enjoy your favorite food with sous vide cooking. Get inspired with my new book – The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.