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Recipes · Main dishes

Baked Chicken Breast with Tomato and Mozzarella

AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested

Chicken breast dries out quickly. Two things help: fillets of even thickness and a thermometer. At 167 °F (75 °C) in the center the meat is cooked through and still juicy, and every minute beyond that dries it out.

  • Serves 4
  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 24 min
  • Rest 3 min
  • Total 42 min
  • easy
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This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Ingredients

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  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 6 oz (180 g) each
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp for the dish, 1 tbsp for the meat
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp for the meat, 1/4 tsp for the tomatoes
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 large tomatoes about 10 1/2 oz (300 g) in all, cut into 1/4-inch (5 mm) slices
  • 250 g (8.8 oz) fresh mozzarella 2 balls, well drained, sliced
  • 0.5 bunch fresh basil leaves

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) conventional, or 350 °F (180 °C) convection. Grease a 9 × 12-inch (22 × 30 cm) baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
  2. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels. If they are uneven in thickness, gently pound them between sheets of plastic wrap to about 3/4 inch (2 cm). Rub them with the remaining oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, paprika and oregano and lay them side by side in the dish.
  3. Bake the fillets for 12 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the tomato slices with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and let them drain on paper towels. Pat the mozzarella slices dry as well.
  5. Take the dish out, top each fillet with 2 or 3 tomato slices and the mozzarella and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and shows its first golden spots.
  6. The chicken is done when a thermometer at the thickest point reads at least 167 °F (75 °C) and the juices run clear. Rest for 3 minutes, tear the basil over the top and serve.

Tip: Mozzarella and tomatoes need to be dry. Otherwise the water runs into the dish, thins the juices and makes the cheese soggy.

Tip: Leftovers taste good cold, sliced, on bread or in a salad.