Mozzarella Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

This mozzarella chicken has juicy chicken with melted mozzarella on top, nestled in a creamy, sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. It is the perfect comfort food!

 

 

For more creamy pasta dishes, I love the parmesan pumpkin pasta for fall and the spring pea pasta for - you guessed it - spring. This mozzarella chicken is a more all-year thing. Especially when it's made with sun-dried tomato pesto and you don't have to rely on a bunch of fresh basil. 

 

For a quick pasta dish, the pesto chicken pasta or picnic pasta are absolute bangers and on my dinner rotation for that very reason. So make sure you also check those out!

 

But now, let's talk more about the creamy mozzarella chicken.

 

 

Ingredients

 

• Chicken: A juicy, blank canvas to add all the delicious things.
• Olive oil: To avoid burning the chicken!
• Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground paprika and dried basil is a basic spice blend that I use on pretty much anything. It's savory and works for many European cuisines. 
• Fresh mozzarella: adds a melted cheesy goodness topping for your chicken. Hard to resist!
• Squash: Adding both nutrition and interest to the dish.
• Shallots: Shallots add a subtle sweetness and savory flavor which is so, so good combined with white wine and heavy cream.
• White wine: Never use a cooking wine, always opt for one you enjoy drinking. I prefer to use a dry white wine. The acidity of the wine cuts through the heavy cream, making it a balanced dish.
• Heavy cream: To make the sauce creamy and indulgent. You can use milk for a lower-fat option, but it will affect the flavor and consistency.
• Cream cheese: Adds a creamy tanginess that is hard to beat.
• Sun-dried tomato pesto: The star of the sauce. It can be homemade or store-bought, but you know which one I'd prefer!
• Pasta: Use your favorite pasta, but for this kind of pasta (just like with my spring pea pasta), I like to use bow-tie pastas. No science behind it, but they are pretty, right? The sauce also clings perfectly to them.
• Baby spinach: Some nutritious and delicious greenery. I add spinach to pretty much anything, it's so good!
• Grape tomatoes: A fresh burst of sweetness in every bite. They are warm and pops in your mouth. I think they are my favorite bite in this dish!
• Pickle brine: This is the secret ingredient of the sauce, making it pop. The sweetness and acidity balances out the creamy ingredients. If you don't have this, you can susbtitute it for lemon juice and sugar.
• High quality parmesan cheese: To top it all off!

 

 

Step by step instructions

 

Preheat the oven to 400 ℉ (200 ℃). 

 

Add olive oil to a skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and paprika powder. Sear the chicken for 2 minutes on each side or until they’ve got a nice sear (1). Place in a baking pan. 

 

Sprinkle the chicken with dried (or fresh) basil and slices of mozzarella (2). Bake in the oven until the chicken is finished cooking and the mozzarella has melted, about 13-14 minutes) (15). 

 

 

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In the pan you cooked the chicken, add the cubed squash (3). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, for about 5 minutes (4). 

 

Remove the squash from the pan and add the finely chopped shallots. Cook until the shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes (5). Deglaze the pan with a dash of the white wine (6). Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the flavors. 

 

Once evaporated, add the rest of the wine, the water and then the heavy cream and cream cheese. Stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto (8-11).

 

Meanwhile, boil pasta according to instruction on the package. Drain but reserve some pasta water.

 

 

Add fresh spinach, basil and grape tomatoes (12) to the sauce and let them wilt and soften for a few minutes. Add the zucchini back in (13). Now you can add the pasta water to reach the desired consistency. I didn't add anything on these photos.

 

Finish it off with a little pickle brine and a generous helping of shredded parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust accordingly.

 

Add in the pasta and nestle the mozzarella chicken on top (16). Sprinkle with more fresh basil if desired.

 

 

Substitutions

 

Instead of chicken you could use a pork tenderloin. Instead of the spinach and tomatoes you could use bell peppers and broccoli. It all depends on your own preferences and what you have in the refrigerator. 

 

For a lighter sauce, you can omit the cream cheese and use half milk and half heavy cream for the sauce. It won't be as delicious, but it's a nice weeknight option. 

 

Instead of the white wine, you can use more vegetable broth. 

 

You could also use regular green pesto instead of sun-dried tomato pesto, but the flavor profile will be much more herbaceous. 

 

Variations

 

This also boils down to the same things as mentioned under substitutions. There are tons of variations, which depends on both what you have and what you like.

 

For example to use green pesto instead of red, and it will be a completely different dish!

 

 

Equipment

 

Basic kitchen equipment. A casserole for boiling pasta, preferably a colander to drain the pasta. A skillet to cook the chicken and sauce in, and a baking dish to bake the chicken in. And a knife and cutting board of course.

 

Remember to always use a separate cutting board for the raw chicken!

 

Storage

 

As this is a pasta dish, it is definitely best served right away. However, if you know you won't be eating everything at once, you can combine just the sauce you need with just the pasta you need.

 

So when you're ready to eat the rest, heat the sauce and chicken back up, boil new pasta and combine with the sauce. 

 

The sauce would keep very well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The cooked chicken for 3-4 days. The sauce and chicken can also be frozen, but I wouldn't freeze it with the pasta in it. 

 

 

Expert tips

 

My best storage tip is to store the sauce and chicken separately, and not add the pasta until you need it. Read under storage. This makes a huge difference!

 

You can also make the cream sauce in advance, I just wouldn't add the grape tomatoes and spinach until right before serving. 

 

Fresh basil also makes a difference with its aromatic flavor. So if you can, always opt for fresh herbs. 

 

Making your own sun-dried tomato pesto is always a good idea, as you can control both the ingredients and the salt level.

 

 

 

Recipe FAQs

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more pasta recipes I think you'd like:

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This recipe was originally published on August 31st 2017, but updated on March 30th 2024 for better photos and content.

 

 

For reference, here's an old photo of the dish in 2017: