Margherita Chicken
Sometimes the simple things in life are the best! Delicious chicken breast cooked in a tomato and basil sauce, and topped with gooey mozzarella cheese.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories241
- Carbs6.1g
- Protein39g
- Fat5.8g
- Saturates3g
- Sugars5.3g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Sometimes the simple things in life are the best! This Margherita Chicken is the perfect flavour combo of basil and tomato and is topped with delicious, melty mozzarella cheese.
We’ve taken all of the flavours of a classic Margherita pizza, but used a few clever swaps like reduced fat mozzarella cheese to keep the calories lower without compromising on flavour. Perfect for those days when you’re craving the pizza flavour but fancy something a little lighter!
Serve with a crisp mixed salad for a light dinner, or our Homemade Oven Chips or Orzo Primavera Pasta Salad for a more filling meal. If you’ve got a busy week coming up, then you can even prepare this dish in advance as it stores and freezes really well!
What diets is this Margherita Chicken suitable for?
This Margherita Chicken can be made suitable for gluten free diets by swapping the following ingredients for gluten free alternatives:
- Chicken stock cube
It can also be made suitable for dairy free diets as long as you use a dairy free substitute in place of the following:
- Reduced fat mozzarella
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Margherita Chicken?
This recipe really couldn’t be simpler to make and doesn’t require any special ingredients!
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‘So tasty yet quick and easy to do. Versatile too, lovely with pasta or plenty of veg and new potatoes.’
How many calories are in this Margherita Chicken?
There are 241 calories per portion in this Margherita Chicken which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Margherita Chicken is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Step 2
Spray a saucepan with low calorie cooking spray, and sauté the onions over a medium to high heat for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.
Step 3
Add the tomatoes, garlic powder and stock, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 4
While the Margherita sauce simmers, spray a non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place on a medium to high heat.
Step 5
Place the chicken breasts in a hot pan and seal for about 2 minutes each side, until golden, then arrange them in an ovenproof dish.
Step 6
After 15 minutes simmering, stir the chopped basil into the sauce and season with black pepper. Spoon over the chicken breasts.
Step 7
Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the top.
Step 8
Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and golden.
Step 9
Scatter a few basil leaves on top and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
What could I serve with this Margherita Chicken?
This Margherita Chicken works really well when served with a crisp, mixed salad or any of the following accompaniments:
How do you know when this Margherita Chicken is cooked?
The sauce needs to be cooked until thickened and piping hot, for around 20 minutes.
Your chicken breasts will need to be piping hot and cooked through which should take around 25 minutes.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep this Margherita Chicken in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Margherita Chicken in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze this Margherita Chicken?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat this Margherita Chicken?
From chilled: Reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot throughout.
From frozen: Defrost thoroughly and then as above.
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Margherita Chicken
Sometimes the simple things in life are the best! Delicious chicken breast cooked in a tomato and basil sauce, and topped with gooey mozzarella cheese.
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Prep Time
5 MINS
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Cook Time
45 MINS
- KCals 241
- Carbs 6.1G
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.
- Spray a saucepan with low calorie cooking spray and sauté the onions over a medium to high heat for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic powder and stock, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the Margherita sauce simmers, spray a non-stick frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place on a medium to high heat.
- Place the chicken breasts in a hot pan and seal for about 2 minutes each side, until golden, then arrange them in an ovenproof dish.
- After 15 minutes simmering, stir the chopped basil into the sauce and season with black pepper. Spoon over the chicken breasts.
- Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the top.
- Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted and golden.
- Scatter a few basil leaves on top and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
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With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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37 comments
See what others have to say
SarahTuesday 21st May 2024
Could I use Passatta instead of tinned tomatoes?
HollyTuesday 21st May 2024
Hey Sarah, you could swap the chopped tomatoes for passatta but you may need to simmer for longer to thicken the sauce. Hope that helps!
LesleySunday 3rd March 2024
Hi
Can you freeze this recipe
LisaMonday 4th March 2024
Hi Lesley
Yes, you can! Instructions for freezing and reheating are about halfway down the recipe page. Hope this helps.
LindaTuesday 14th March 2023
Hi can this recipe be cooked in the air fryer?
SharonWednesday 12th July 2023
Hi Linda, we haven’t tested Margherita Chicken in the air-fryer but think it should be fine. We have an article here which you may find useful: How to Convert Recipes to an Air Fryer Hope you enjoy the recipe!
RosieTuesday 7th March 2023
Hi there,
Would you be able to use chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts?
Thank you x
SharonWednesday 12th July 2023
Hi Rosie, yes, you can use chicken thighs instead of breasts if you prefer. They will take a little longer to cook so you may need to add a little water if the sauce starts to dry out. Enjoy the recipe!
JoWednesday 29th June 2022
Can I make this in the slow cooker?
SharonThursday 30th June 2022
Hi Jo, we haven’t tested making Margherita Chicken in the slow cooker so can’t say for sure if it would be successful. We have a slow cooker conversion article here:How to Convert Recipes to a Slow Cooker which you might find helpful.Hope that helps!
LeahTuesday 22nd March 2022
Could this be made in the slow cooker?
HollyWednesday 30th March 2022
Hey Leah, we haven’t tested this recipe cooked in a slow cooker so can’t say if it would be successful. We have a slow cooker conversion article HERE which you might find helpful if you’d like to try this recipe cooked that way. Hope that helps!
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