Easy, healthy, cheesy and delicious lasagna baked chicken breast is the perfect dinner to get your new year started off right! All the taste and comfort of lasagna in a healthy chicken entree that comes together before you know it.
If there’s one thing that drives me crazy (okay, there’s probably, like, a zillion…), it’s the idea that healthy eating means you can’t eat your favorite things. Before I was finally successful with my weight loss, I had so many failed attempts because each time I felt like I couldn’t eat anything, and it’s just not true. It’s just about finding ways to make your favorite things fit into your healthy lifestyle, and this chicken does just that!
Lasagna has to be the ultimate comfort food. With melty, gooey cheese and pasta you really can’t go wrong, but I honestly have never felt like pasta even adds much to a dish. It is the vehicle for cheese and sauce. I’m happy just eating cheese and sauce. By themselves. With a spoon. But I guess I should eat protein or something too.
I love stuffing chicken. It’s one of my favorite, easy ways to make my dinner more fun without having to do much. Chicken on its own can quickly become boring and monotonous, but there are so many fun varieties and flavor combinations you can use to dress it up a little. I just made my favorite lasagna filling, butterflied the chicken, stuffed that cheesy goodness inside, then baked it. Finish it off with a little mozzarella, stick it under the broiler to get brown and bubbly, and top it off with your favorite marinara sauce. Mine came from a bottle because, like I said, I am a totally lazy cook.
The result was total cheesy dreaminess, and I literally haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
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Cook time:
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Serves: 40
- 4 large chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup part skim ricotta cheese
- ½ cup nonfat cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried or finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried or finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella
- 1 cup marinara sauce (or more if desired)
- Preheat oven to 350. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Butterfly each chicken breast then set aside.
- To make the filling, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, oregano and basil in a medium bowl. Fill the center of each chicken breast with cheese mixture and fold the top half of the chicken back over on top. Make sure chicken can fold back over completely, and that cheese isn't spilling out. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may have some cheese mixture left over.
- Carefully place filled chicken breasts in a large, rimmed baking dish and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake until chicken is completely cooked and juices run clear. This will vary depending on thickness, but I usually start to check around 20 minutes. You do not want to over cook them.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Watch closely--it can burn quickly. Plate and top with marinara sauce. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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