This healthy chicken marinara is bite-sized chicken baked in a creamy spinach and herb cheese sauce, crushed tomatoes, and melty mozzarella. It’s one of our FAVORITE easy chicken dinners, with 29.8 grams of protein in every serving.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Chicken Marinara
- Serves: 8
- Calories: 206 cal
- Protein: 29.8g
- Fat: 7g
- Carbs: 5.6g
- Why You'll Love It: This chicken marinara recipe is full of all the comforting tastes you want while also being good for you. It's one of the most delicious baked chicken tenderloin recipes you're ever going to find.
I love an easy meal that gives all the warm, comforting feels. Bolognese. Marinara. Lasagna. That garlicky tomato goodness just tastes so good, especially with fresh herbs. That’s why this lightened-up chicken marinara has become a favorite in our home. It only takes a few steps, and I get to feed my family something they LOVE with a healthier twist.
If you’re always on the lookout for easy chicken recipes for dinner… it’s time I introduce you to this one. Serve it over pasta, spaghetti squash, or piled on crusty buns. It’s SO GOOD every single way.
What Is Chicken Marinara?
Chicken marinara is chicken cooked in a tomato marinara sauce, usually with cheese and Italian herbs. My version skips any breading or frying. I toss bite-sized chicken with olive oil and seasonings, coat it in a blend of cottage cheese, ricotta, parmesan, spinach, and fresh herbs, then pour crushed tomatoes over the top and finish it with mozzarella. One baking dish… and the oven does the rest.
What Is the Difference Between Chicken Parm and Chicken Marinara?
Chicken parmesan is breaded chicken topped with marinara and melted cheese. Chicken marinara skips the breading, so it’s lighter and quicker to make. If you’re craving the classic, try the easiest spaghetti squash chicken parmesan or my easy baked parmesan chicken sandwich.
Is Chicken Marinara Gluten-Free?
YES, this one is gluten-free. It is NOT dairy-free though… it’s heavy on dairy. I haven’t tried swaps for this one, but you could! Use a dairy-free ricotta in place of both the ricotta and cottage cheese, and I’d stick to a dairy-free parmesan on top.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Low-fat cottage cheese and part-skim ricotta: blended together, they make the creamy base of the sauce and add extra protein. If you love cooking with cottage cheese, try my cottage cheese meatballs. Ricotta fans, my mushroom ricotta pasta bake is for you.
- Fresh parsley, basil, and spinach: they get blended right into the cheese mixture. That’s where all the pretty green specks come from.
- Chicken tenderloins or breasts: either one works. You want 2 pounds total, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Crushed tomatoes: one 15 oz can. Marinara sauce works too.
- Frozen garlic cubes: I use 2 cubes. 2 fresh cloves work just as well.
Before You Start Cooking
- Grab a small food processor or blender. The cheese, herbs, and spinach get blended into a paste first.
- Use a 9×13 baking dish. You toss the chicken with the oil and seasonings right in the dish. No sense in making extra dirty dishes.
- Decide if you want to pre-bake the chicken. Baking the chicken bites for 10 minutes first lets you pour off the extra liquid before adding the cheese and sauce. If you skip it, it’ll be a little watery right out of the oven, but it thickens as it sits.
- Plan for about an hour. That’s 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes in the oven.
- Weigh your empty baking dish if you track macros. One serving is 208g, so weighing the finished dish makes splitting it easy. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal. Or let my macro-friendly meal plans handle it. Every recipe has complete macros and comes preloaded into MyFitnessPal, Macros First, and Lose It.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Marinara
- Make the green paste. Blend the cottage cheese, ricotta, ¼ cup of the parmesan, garlic, parsley, basil, and spinach until it forms a pretty smooth paste. Don’t go crazy, a few green specks are great!
- Season the chicken. Add the chopped chicken to a 9×13 baking dish and toss with the olive oil and seasonings.
- Layer it up. Top the chicken with the cheese mixture and combine well. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top, then sprinkle on the mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan.
- Bake. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until the top is bubbly and the chicken is cooked through. Broil for a few more minutes if you want the cheese more browned.
- Let it sit. It will be a bit watery right out of the oven, but it thickens up a little as it sits.
If you pre-baked the chicken for 10 minutes and poured off the liquid, bake for only 15 additional minutes after adding the cheese and sauce. We might like the leftovers even better!
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What to Serve with Chicken Marinara
Serve your chicken marinara over pasta, spaghetti squash, or on crusty buns with extra marinara or pesto like a chicken parmesan sandwich. If you like it sandwich-style, my roasted tomato basil chicken sandwich is another one to try. For a lower carb plate, spaghetti squash is my pick… and if you love it too, my creamy cauliflower spaghetti squash casserole is a must.
On the side, we love a simple salad like my super green salad, parmesan smashed broccoli, or a pan of basil roasted veggies. Need another easy chicken dinner for later in the week? My crispy garlic thyme chicken is a family favorite. ENJOY.
How to Freeze Chicken Marinara
This one freezes really well, which is why it’s on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals.
- Make sure the chicken is fully baked before freezing.
- Let it cool, then portion it into containers and label with the date and grams (one serving is 208g).
- Freeze it without the pasta or buns. Make those fresh when you’re ready to eat.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat covered in the oven or microwave.
- Keeps up to 3 months.
Want more Italian-style dinners for the freezer? Try my Instant Pot pork ragu, easy lasagna soup, or chicken minestrone soup.
Chicken Marinara Calories and Macros
One serving (208g) of this healthy chicken marinara has 206 calories, 29.8g protein, 7g fat, 5.6g carbs, and 1g fiber. That’s just the chicken, so add whatever you’re serving it over. The full nutrition is in the recipe card below.
This easy chicken tenderloin recipe is SO GOOD! It’s quick to make, good for you, and can be enjoyed in so many different ways. If you’re looking for other easy macro-balanced recipes, check out my cookbooks. Come say hi on Instagram, I share what we’re eating all week.
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Chicken Marinara
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Low-fat cottage cheese (120 g)
- 1/2 cup Part-skim ricotta cheese (120 g)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided (40 g)
- 2 Frozen garlic cubes, or 2 cloves
- 1/4 cup Parsley (12 g)
- 1/2 cup Basil (25 g)
- 1/2 cup Spinach (25 g)
- 2 lbs Chicken tenderloins or breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces (896 g)
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil (15 g)
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 15 oz can Crushed tomatoes, or marinara sauce (420 g)
- 2 oz Shredded mozzarella cheese (56 g)
Instructions
- In a small food processor or blender, blend the cottage and ricotta cheeses, ¼ cup of the parmesan, garlic, parsley, basil, and spinach until it forms a pretty smooth paste. Don’t go crazy, a few green specks are great!
- Add your chopped chicken to a 9×13 baking dish. Toss with olive oil and seasonings. Top with the cheese mixture and combine well. Pour crushed tomatoes over the top of the chicken mixture, then top with mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of parmesan.
- Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until the top is bubbly and chicken is cooked through. If you want the cheese to brown a bit more, just broil for a few more minutes. It will be a bit watery right out of the oven, but will thicken up a little as it sits. We might like the leftovers even better!
- PRO-TIP: To avoid that extra liquid at the end, you can also bake the chicken for 10 minutes BEFORE adding the cheese and sauce. Carefully pour off the extra liquid and then proceed to add the cheesy mixture, marinara, and cheese. Bake for only 15 additional minutes.
- Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, or on crusty buns with extra marinara or pesto like a chicken parmesan sandwich. ENJOY.
Notes
Repeated from above: To avoid that extra liquid at the end, you can also bake the chicken for 10 minutes BEFORE adding the cheese and sauce. Carefully pour off the extra liquid and then proceed to add the cheesy mixture, marinara, and cheese. Bake for only 15 additional minutes. Search: Lillie Eats and Tells Chicken Marinara
Nutrition
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I really enjoyed this one. (Kids ate it but didn’t go back for seconds–not sure if that is a reflection of the recipe or just how hungry they were.)
Used 4oz reduced fat cream cheese because the grocery store didn’t have part skim ricotta and I needed to use up the cream cheese anyway! Blending up stuff/multiple sauces is usually more than I can be bothered with, but I think I will make this one again.
so glad you liked it!! hopefully the kids go back for seconds next time haha