Mozzarella Chicken is a simple dinner recipe! It’s pan-seared chicken smothered in a tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Served on top of cheesy pasta with glazed carrots on the side.
Mozzarella Chicken with Cheesy Noodles and Sweet Carrots
Ingredients
Mozzarella Chicken
- 4 small Chicken Breasts
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Garlic minced
- ½ cup Onions chopped
- 1 can Crushed Tomatoes 14 ounces can
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes mix
- ¼ tsp Basil
- 1 tbsp Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
Cheesy Noodles
- 1 cup Milk
- 1½ cup Monterrey Jack Cheese grated
- 1½ cup Cheddar Cheese grated
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 cups Pasta
Sweet Carrots
- 1 lbs Carrots chopped
- 1½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
Instructions
Chicken
- Sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of pepper on both sides. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until the chicken is completely seared.
Tomato Sauce
- Preheat the oven on the broiler setting. Add the onions to the oil remaining in the pan. If there isn’t any, add in about ½ teaspoon and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until they soften, add the garlic and let cook for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, dried basil, and pesto and stir to combine. When the sauce reaches a simmer, add a ¼ cup of water, lower the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Season with pepper to taste.
Sweet Carrots
- Chop 1 pound of carrots and place them in an oven-safe dish. Cover with brown sugar and butter. Cook in over at 350 for 20 minutes.
Assemble
- Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce and using a spoon, cover the chicken with sauce. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. 5 minutes before the chicken is done add cheese on top of the chicken and cook until the cheese gets nice and bubbly and just melts. Top with chopped parsley or basil ribbons. Serve on top of cheesy pasta and sweet carrots on the side.
TO SERVE:
- chopped parsley or basil + pasta or crusty bread
Did You Know
Mozzarella is a traditionally southern Italian cheese made from Italian buffalo’s milk by the pasta filata method. Mozzarella received a Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) certification from the European Union in 1998. This protection scheme requires that mozzarella sold in the European Union is produced according to a traditional recipe.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white but may vary seasonally to slightly yellow depending on the animal’s diet. Due to its high moisture content, it is traditionally served the day after it is made but can be kept in brine for up to a week or longer when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Low-moisture mozzarella can be kept refrigerated for up to a month, though some shredded low-moisture mozzarella is sold with a shelf life of up to six months. Mozzarella of several kinds is used for most types of pizza and several pasta dishes or served with sliced tomatoes and basil in Caprese salad.
Mozzarella, derived from the Neapolitan dialect spoken in Campania, is the diminutive form of mozza (“cut”), or mozzare (“to cut off”) derived from the method of working. The term is first mentioned in 1570, cited in a cookbook by Bartolomeo Scappi, reading “milk cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, and milk”.
