Easy Baked Ricotta Chicken Recipe

After a long day, this easy baked ricotta chicken recipe is a very cozy and creamy lunch. This quick chicken dinner doesn’t need any prep work because your oven does all the work.

This quick ricotta chicken bake is sure to become your new favorite if you like recipes with a lot of sauce. We love sauce here at S&L, and there’s more than enough for a lot of it to drizzle over rice, potatoes, or vegetables.

This baked chicken recipe is exceptionally special since it uses mozzarella, ricotta, and parmesan cheese. For families with busy schedules and picky eaters, it’s almost certain to be a hit. I mean, who can say no to chicken that’s soft and has three kinds of cheese and marinara sauce on it? Food that makes you feel good!

Ingredients

• ○ two big chicken breasts
• ○ salt
• ○ pepper
• ○ whole milk ricotta cheese
• ○ 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ○ 1/2 teaspoon of Italian spice
• ○ 3 cloves of minced garlic
• ○ 2 cups of marinara sauce
• ○ 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• ○ Optional fresh basil

Preparation Instructions

This is a summary with pictures of each phase. The recipe card below has all the ingredients and steps you need.

1. Set your oven to 375F and place the rack to the top third of the oven.
2. To make four thinner cutlets, cut the chicken in half lengthwise. Then, add salt and pepper to the chicken.
3. Put the ricotta, parmesan, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl and stir them together.

4. Put half of the marinara sauce in a 9×13 casserole dish and smooth it out evenly.
5. Put the chicken in the casserole dish next to each other and sprinkle the ricotta mixture over the top of each piece.
6. Put the rest of the marinara sauce on top of each piece of chicken.
7. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake it for 20 minutes.
8. Take the casserole dish out of the oven and take off the foil. Cover the chicken with mozzarella and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is done (165F).
9. If you want, you may broil it for a few minutes to brown the cheese (but be careful not to burn it).
10. Before serving, let the chicken sit for a few minutes. If you like, add more salt and pepper, and if you want, top with fresh basil.

Tips & Suggestions

• If you can, I would highly suggest using full milk ricotta. It’s much creamier and doesn’t have the gritty or crumbly texture that other kinds sometimes have.
• Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken isn’t overcooked or undercooked, since chicken breasts can be very different sizes.
• For the finest flavor and meltability, grate your own parmesan. It really does make a difference!
• To get your greens in, try adding one or two cups of chopped spinach to the ricotta mixture.
• If you want to spice things up, sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes on top of the marinara sauce or mix them into the ricotta.
• This recipe for baked chicken is supposed to be quick, but if you want to make my Homemade Marinara Sauce, go ahead!
• Try a salad with my homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing to balance things out. It’s simple, quick, and you know exactly what goes into it.
• This creates a lot of sauce! It tastes fantastic with simple pasta, my Buttered Noodles, Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, your favorite rice, or steamed green beans or broccolini.
• You can keep leftover chicken bake in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
• To keep it from drying out, reheat it slowly in a pot over low heat.
• I don’t think it’s a good idea to freeze dishes that are cheesy and creamy like this one.

This recipe makes a lot of sauce. It’s delicious on rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Chicken breast sizes and ovens are very different, so remember that timing is only a suggestion and it’s always a good idea to use an instant read thermometer.