THE BEST PARMESAN CHICKEN BAKE

The Best Parmesan Chicken Bake image

This chicken Parmesan is done casserole style (so, no breading or frying!), but still offers up that irresistible combination of tender chicken, crunchy/cheesy coating, and flavorful sauce.

Provided by Chef John

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 50m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 9

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (5 ounce) package garlic croutons

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
Arrange the chicken breasts in bottom of the dish, and pour marinara sauce over chicken. Sprinkle basil over marinara sauce, and top with half the mozzarella cheese, followed by half the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on the croutons, then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven until cheese and croutons are golden brown and the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the shape and thickness of your chicken breasts. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chicken breast should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Nutrition Facts : Calories 477 calories, Carbohydrate 28 g, Cholesterol 100.2 mg, Fat 21.7 g, Fiber 3.4 g, Protein 40.3 g, SaturatedFat 8.2 g, Sodium 1022.4 mg, Sugar 8.9 g