Fancy Dinner that is Easy Enough for a Weeknight
Do you want a fancy dinner that is easy enough for a weeknight? Then Stuffed chicken breasts with a simple marinara sauce is perfect.
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Easy Marinated Sauce
It is also Keto friendly and while some might enjoy this served over pasta, I love it over zoodles. I’ve been on a tomato kick lately. First, I love tomatoes and I also still have a ton of canned whole tomatoes and tomato sauce. I preserved more tomatoes last year than I ever have before. However, I need to slow down. Even though I’m thinking about what to plant in my gardens and I’m buying seeds, it’s still 6 more months before I will start seeing red tomatoes again.
Tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Simple Marinara Sauce
Equipment
- 1 9×9 baking dish
- 1 large sauce pot
- Aluminum Foil
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes I use my canned tomatoes
- 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Stuffed Chicken Breast
- 2 chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz freshly shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained & finely chopped
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
- Saute the onions in oil until transparent, add garlic, and saute for one more minute.
- Add the tomatoes and the spices. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Chicken Breasts
- Preheat oven to 375°
- While the sauce is simmering, mix the softened cream cheese, 1 oz of the parmesan cheese with the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spices.
- Place the chicken breasts (one at a time) on a cutting board and cover with parchment paper and pound (I use a rolling pin) until they are thin, about 1/4" thick.
- Using a spoon put about 1/4 of the cheese mixture onto the flattened chicken breast and spread in the center. Roll up the breast starting with the smaller end.
- Secure with toothpicks
- Place the chicken breasts (seam side down) into the 9×9 baking dish that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Brush a little olive oil over the top and cover the chicken rolls with another piece of foil. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until 145° in the center. I take the foil off when I check the chicken at 25-30 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, boil the pasta according to package directions.
- Slice cooked chicken and place on top of noodles and marinara sauce. Remaining parmesan cheese to garnish if desired.
- You can also use zoodles
Notes
Some other Tomato Based Meal
Here are a few more recipes for a fancy dinner that is easy enough for a weeknight meal.
Cheesy Lobster Ravioli with Simple Tomato Sauce
Incredibly Easy Chicken Breast Recipe
Summer Tomato Pasta
I eat it all year long!
Meal Planning
This dish is definitely going to be on rotation when I’m planning my meals. The sauce was so easy to make. It took me 5 minutes to put it together and started it cooking. I always butterfly my chicken breasts right when I buy them and then freeze them so once it’s thawed, they’re ready to go.
I forgot to take the goat cheese block out to soften so I just unwrapped it, put it in the glass bowl, and put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and it was perfect for mixing. My family raved about this meal. It was so full of flavor and looked so pretty on the plate. Sometimes I think that the presentation sets up the mental expectation for what the meal is going to taste like!
If you want to know more about my meal planning, you can read about it HERE.
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This chicken sounds so good! I’m making it. Hugs to you.
It is really good and so easy!