About the Recipe
It started with a quick scroll through Instagram. Someone posted a video of this gorgeous, layered chicken bake and I immediately thought — I need to make that. So I did, and honestly, it might be one of my favorite things I've made recently.
Here's what I love about it: all the best parts of lasagna are here — the creamy ricotta mixture, the sautéed spinach, the rich pasta sauce, that golden bubbly mozzarella on top — but there's no pasta in sight. It's low carb without feeling like it's missing anything. And that, my friends, is a win.
The ricotta mixture gets folded with wilted spinach, garlic, and parsley and spread generously over seasoned chicken breasts right in the baking dish. Sauce goes over the top, mozzarella gets layered on, and into the oven it goes. A quick broil at the end gives you that perfectly browned, slightly crispy cheese top that makes it look like you genuinely slaved over it. You didn't. But you can let them think you did.
We had ours on a Sunday night with roasted vegetables to keep it low carb — and okay, a little homemade Italian bread on the side, because some rules are meant to be broken. It was exactly the kind of dinner that makes a Sunday feel complete.
Ingredients
1 jar your favorite pasta sauce (24 - 32 oz)
4 thin chicken breasts (I split two thicker breasts into 4)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Granulated garlic
1 tsp. Onion powder
2 cups chopped spinach
1 tsp. Minced garlic
1 tsp. Fresh parsley (dried works as well)
32 oz. Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
½ cup grated parmesan
1 egg
16 oz. fresh mozzarella slices (you can use grated as well)
Extra parsley and grated parmesan to garnish
Pantry staples: EVOO, Salt & Pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large baking dish, spread approximately half of your pasta sauce across the bottom, then place the four chicken breasts on top. Add seasoning with Italian herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt & pepper.
Heat a small skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO, then add spinach, garlic, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the spinach wilts and the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, egg and salt and pepper. Mix until egg is combined. Fold in the spinach mixture.
Evenly distribute the ricotta mixture on the chicken breasts in the baking dish, ensuring all of it is used on top of the chicken. Then, pour approximately ¼ more of the sauce over the ricotta mixture.
Place the sliced mozzarella over the sauce (or spread it over if using shredded mozzarella). Sprinkle parsley and grated parmesan over.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Turn the oven onto broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese on top (watch carefully!)
Remove the pan from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes. Serve on top of pasta or alongside roasted vegetables and some delicious Italian Italian bread (that’s what I made!)
Notes
Maintain a low-carb diet - I adore this recipe because it offers a tasty low-carb meal without leaving you feeling deprived. However, if you're craving that 'pasta' sensation, try serving it with zucchini noodles!
Prepare this meal in advance - It's simple to prepare and bake at a later time. You can completely assemble it, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days, or cover with both plastic and foil to freeze for up to two weeks. If baking from the fridge or freezer, additional time may be needed.
