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Golden-brown breaded chicken breasts baked with tender zucchini rounds, sliced tomatoes, and melted mozzarella cheese in a rectangular baking dish, garnished with fresh green basil leaves

Baked Chicken and Zucchini


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  • Author: Inez Rose
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 chicken breasts with vegetables 1x

Description

Baked Chicken and Zucchini is a simple and delicious one-pan meal made with juicy, seasoned chicken and tender roasted zucchini. It’s a healthy, no-fuss dinner option that’s full of flavor and perfect for busy weeknights


Ingredients

Scale

The Chicken Situation:

    • 4 chicken breasts (I buy the family pack and freeze what I don’t use)

    • 1 egg, beaten (farm fresh if you can swing it)

    • 1 cup bread crumbs (I use the Italian seasoned ones because life’s too short)

    • Salt and pepper (more than you think you need)

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil for browning

The Vegetable Magic:

    • 2 medium zucchini, sliced into coins

    • 2 big tomatoes, sliced thick

    • 3 garlic cloves, chopped up real fine

    • 2 more tablespoons olive oil

    • Salt and pepper again

The Cheesy Finale:

    • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (I buy the block and shred it myself – trust me on this)

    • Fresh basil from my little herb garden (or the grocery store, no judgment)

    • Extra olive oil for drizzling


Instructions

Getting Started: Heat your oven to 400°F. I learned the hard way that preheating actually matters for this recipe – tried to cheat once and throw everything in a cold oven. Total disaster.

Set up your breading station with the beaten egg in one dish and seasoned breadcrumbs in another. Season that chicken really well with salt and pepper – like, more than you think you need.

The Chicken Part: Dip each piece in the egg, let the extra drip off (I learned this from watching my grandmother bread cutlets), then press it into those breadcrumbs. Really press – you want that coating to stick.

In your skillet, heat your olive oil until it almost shimmers. It should sizzle as soon as you add the chicken.. Don’t move it around! Let it sit there for 3-4 minutes until it’s golden, then flip and do the same on the other side. The chicken won’t be cooked through yet – that’s totally fine.

The Vegetable Situation: In that same skillet (don’t clean it – those brown bits are pure gold), add more olive oil and toss in your garlic. Let it get fragrant for maybe 30 seconds, then add your zucchini slices. Stir them around for 2-3 minutes until they’re just starting to soften.

Putting It All Together: Spread those garlicky zucchini slices in your baking dish. Nestle the chicken pieces on top, then layer the tomato slices around everything. Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the whole thing, add most of your basil (save some for the end).

The Waiting Game: Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Test the chicken with your thermometer — it should be 165°F! When it is, snatch off that foil, sprinkle the remaining cheese over everything, and bake another 5 minutes, until everything’s bubbling and beautiful.

Let it rest for 5 minutes before spooning down. I know it is torture, but make him wait.

Notes

If your zucchini releases a lot of water (depends on the season and how fresh they are), just tip the dish and drain it off before serving. No big deal.

This actually tastes better the next day. All those flavors get friendly overnight and create something even more delicious.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Baking

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with vegetables
  • Calories: Approximately 420 per serving
  • Sugar: 8g
  • Sodium: 580mg
  • Fat: 22g
  • Saturated Fat: 8g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 12g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 18g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 38g
  • Cholesterol: 125mg