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This Cheesy Marinara Chicken Pasta recipe is easy to make and comes together pretty quickly. I can make this recipe in about 30 minutes and serve it with a salad and some bread sticks. Chicken, pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese are some of the ingredients used in the dish.

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Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp each of garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and onion powder
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
24 oz jar pasta sauce
8 oz pasta
1 cup ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes

Make the Chicken

To make this recipe, start by cutting one pound of chicken into bite sized pieces. Lightly season the chicken with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

I like to use a Better Breader Bowl (this is my amazon affiliate/commission-able link) for this next step, but a zip lock bag or large container will also work. Add 1/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese to the container and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, and onion powder.

Shake the flour/seasoning mixture around to get it well combined. Add the chicken to the flour mixture and shake well.

This Better Breader Bowl is easy to use and is dishwasher safe which is part of the reason I love it. After using it I usually let it soak in hot water, rinse it out, and then put it in the dishwasher.

Make the Marinara Chicken Pasta

Cook 8 oz of pasta according to the directions on the package. I used Cellentani pasta, but any pasta should work!

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and melt 2 tbsp of butter. Add the chicken and cook until it is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Once the chicken is fully cooked remove it from the skillet and turn the heat all the way down to low. Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic and 24 oz of marinara sauce. Stir well and let simmer until the pasta is cooked.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the pasta. I like using this over the sink collapsible strainer.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well. Use a spoon to drop spoonfuls of ricotta cheese all over the skillet of pasta.

Top with the cooked chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese. This will bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted. This usually only takes a few minutes.

Serve Cheesy Marinara Chicken Pasta

Once the cheese is melted it is time to eat! Top the pasta with more Parmesan cheese and some parsley!

I served this with a chopped Caesar salad mix and some bread sticks. This would also be good with some roasted broccoli or green beans.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

Always cook chicken until it reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees.
I like using a Better Breader Bowl for breading the chicken. It’s easy to use and dishwasher safe, so clean up is super easy!
You can use jarred garlic or freshly minced garlic for this recipe.
I prefer to shred blocks of cheese for a creamier consistency.
This recipe uses about 1 cup of ricotta, so it’s a great recipe for using up any leftover ricotta you may have in the refrigerator from other recipes.
Use your favorite brand of marinara or make it homemade. I really like Rao’s Marinara sauce.

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