This Bruschetta Chicken Bake is a super flavorful way to bake chicken. Stuff and top chicken breasts with homemade bruschetta and bake!
Weeknight-easy
Easy cleanup
You’ll Learn: How to stuff chicken breasts for maxiumum juiciness and flavor
Worth It: Roasting delivers deeper, sweeter flavor than quick stovetop versions
Bonus: One-dish approach for easy cleanup
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Like the bruschetta appetizer, but better – if bruschetta is one of your favorite things to order at an Italian restaurant, you will love this easy bruschetta chicken recipe. The chicken acts like a base for the tomato mixture instead of toasted bread.
- Juicy chicken every time – Thanks to the flavorful and juicy tomatoes stuffed inside and laid on the chicken, this recipe makes a perfectly juicy chicken breast ever time.
- Perfect for dinner or meal prep – this dish is the perfect weeknight dinner. Serve it up with some pasta and a green vegetable like asparagus, green beans or broccoli. You can also prepare it ahead of time and pack it for lunch each day. It even reheats nicely in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken bruschetta is delicious on its own, but there are also many ways to serve it. You can’t go wrong pairing it with a side of pasta, rice, or potatoes.
For a fresh and lower-carb option, you could also serve it with a salad. Whatever you pair it with, it is a hearty meal that is sure to leave you feeling satisfied.
You could also make the bruschetta topping and use it for other dishes. It would be delicious on top of a piece of grilled chicken or on a piece of freshly cooked fish.
What is bruschetta?
Technically, bruschetta refers to the slice of bread, not the tomato basil topping. Under that definition, this recipe is incorrectly titled.
BUT most people think of bruschetta as the mixture on top and not the thinly slice of bread toasted with olive oil and garlic. Bruschetta topping traditionally includes chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and fresh garlic.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes – You can use any kind of fresh tomatoes to make a homemade bruschetta, but I prefer to use roma or plum tomatoes.
- Garlic – freshly grated garlic really adds to the authentic taste in this bruschetta recipe
- Parmesan cheese – I like to grate my parm by hand on a box grater, but you can use pre grated parmesan cheese.
- Extra virgin olive oil – using a high quality olive oil is essential when making a
- Aged balsamic vinegar – if you don’t have balsamic vinegar, use a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add a hit of acid to the homemade bruschetta
- Dried basil and fresh basil – use dried basil in the recipe and fresh basil on top to garnish. You can also use freshly chopped basil in the bruschetta
- Salt and pepper – about a teaspoon salt and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper really add to the flavor of the brushcetta
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – slice the chicken breasts in half to create a pocket that you will fill with that flavorful bruschetta,
- Balsamic reduction – drizzle a balsamic glaze over the top of the cooked dish to really enhance the flavors of the bruschetta.
Ingredient substitutions
Feel free to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this bruschetta chicken bake instead of chicken breasts. Just make sure you cook the chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165F to ensure they are cooked through.
To make this bruschetta chicken recipe even tastier, top the dish with a few handfuls of mozzarella cheese towards the end of baking. The mozzarella will melt and become a delicious topping. You can also use slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
Feel free to use an Italian seasoning blend in place of the dry seasonings listed in the recipe. You can also use quartered cherry tomatoes in place of the Roma tomatoes. Add extra flavor to the homemade bruschetta by mixing in some fresh red onion.
How to make
Step 1: Prep the Bruschetta
To begin, preheat the oven to 400F. While the oven is preheating, you can prepare the bruschetta stuffing and topping.
Start by finely dicing the Roma tomatoes and mincing the garlic (Image 1). Next, mix tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, salt, and black pepper together in a mixing bowl (Images 2 and 3).
Step 2: Prepare the chicken for the bake
To prepare the chicken, cut a slice through the side of the chicken breasts so that you are able to stuff them (Image 4). DO NOT cut all the way through into 2 filets. You just want to create a little pocket
Then, grease a casserole dish with olive oil and place the chicken breasts in the dish. Fill the center of each chicken breast with some of the bruschetta and cover the tops of the chicken breasts with the rest of the bruschetta (Images 5 and 6).
Step 3: Bake and enjoy
Next, place in the oven and bake at 400F for 28-32 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Check after 28 minutes to ensure that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction and enjoy!
Storage and reheating
Once prepared, transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, warm in an oven at 250F until the chicken is warmed through. This should take about 20 minutes. You cold also cube the chicken, toss with the tomato mixture and warm on the stovetop over medium low heat.
Check out these other delicious Chicken Dinner Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb roma tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1.5-2lbs total
- Fresh basil and balsamic reduction for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prepare the bruschetta by finely dicing the roma tomatoes. Mince the garlic and mix tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried basil, salt and black pepper together in a mixing bowl
- Cut a slice through the side of the chicken breasts so that you are able to stuff them, but DO NOT cut all the way through into 2 filets. You want to create a little pocket
- Grease a casserole dish with olive oil and place the chicken breasts in the dish. Fill the center of each chicken breast with some of the bruschetta. Cover the tops of the chicken breasts with the rest of the bruschetta
- Place in the oven and bake at 400F for 28-32 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Check after 28 minutes to ensure that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Top with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
Recipe Notes
- Serve with pasta, roasted potatoes or rice
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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