Baked Chicken With Crispy Parmesan and Tomatoes

Baked Chicken With Crispy Parmesan and Tomatoes
Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(2,050)
Notes
Read community notes

Think of this as an easy version of chicken Parmesan, tender chicken, tangy tomatoes and crispy bits of Parmesan. Here, there’s no pounding, breading or frying required. The bath of garlicky tomatoes gently cooks the chicken, keeping it juicy, while the dusting of Parmesan returns some richness lost in choosing boneless and skinless breasts. Seek out chicken breasts on the larger side to give the Parmesan a chance to properly brown and crisp up without overcooking.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
  • 4cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4sprigs thyme, oregano or rosemary
  • ½teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 4large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1ounce Parmesan, plus about 2 tablespoons for garnish
  • ½cup parsley or basil, coarsely chopped (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

389 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 1001 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice the tomatoes in half crosswise and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish along with garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until chicken is about halfway cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and grate Parmesan over chicken.

  3. Step 3

    Return to oven and continue to bake until chicken is cooked through, tomatoes are starting to caramelize and Parmesan is browned and crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes more.

  4. Step 4

    Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley or basil before serving, if desired, and garnish with shavings of Parmesan.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,050 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

I've made this twice now with great success! Used halved cherry tomatoes and sliced shallots, plus some veggie stock and a splash of balsamic to loosen it all up. The fresh thyme really makes this. Served with oven roasted baby new potatoes (parboiled briefly and sliced) with thyme, salt and pepper. YUM.

Works better if you don’t add the juice from the can. Just add the tomatoes themselves. Otherwise it does turn out soupy, as some commenters mentioned.

This is a light, healthy yet very tasty version of cp. I went 425 for 45 minutes total, adding the parm reg on after 25 and the last 2 minutes under the broiler.

Fantastic and simple dish. I added sweet onion and doubled the garlic to the tomatoes. Also chopped parsley to tomatoes and used it to season the chicken. Added quite. I also went pretty heavy on the red pepper flakes for seasoning. The spice with the sweet onion was awesome. Bit of basil at the end. Next time I would add a bit more parm to create a crispier too. Excellent!

This is a great recipe. To correct for a common complaint (soupy-ness), I spooned each tomato from the can and cut it on a cutting board to release a significant amount of the liquid before adding to the baking dish. Perfect! Followed all directions and amounts for two 10 oz chicken breasts, except cooked for about 32 minutes total (16 minutes for each step) and then rested for 5 minutes. We loved it and will certainly make again!

Would recommend thinner chicken breasts so not as dry and Parmesan doesn’t get too toasty. Great recipe and easy. The tomatoes are the best part.

I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts in order to give the dish more time in the oven: 15 minutes before adding Parmesan and then 15 minutes afterwords. This gave the tomatoes more caramelizing time and more time for the Parmesan to brown, and more time for the garlic to roast under the chicken. I also increased both the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs to six to boost the flavors. It was delicious!

Very good! Absolutely the easiest, quickest recipe in all of the NYT Cooking app! I used cherry tomatoes, and I made a half-recipe. I kept to the timing suggested, and at the very end the Parmesan wasn't browned enough, so I just turned "broil" instead of bake, and it came out perfect: juicy, well-seasoned and sufficiently browned.

I love seeing that a recipe which interests me is by Alison Roman! That means 2 things will be true — I will probably be able to cook it, and it will be fabulous. She’s my favorite of the Times’ “Cooking” writers. And this recipe certainly lived up to expectations. I served it over fresh linguine for a complete and total home run.

Tasty recipe. The challenge is to get the chicken crispy yet juicy. Some tips: (a) Place the pieces skin-side up on the tomatoes. (b) After the first 15 minutes, *before* adding the parmesan, place the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn off the broiler, add the parm, wait a few seconds for it to melt, add more, then resume at the previous temperature for about 10 more minutes. (c) Reserve the tomato juice--the tomatoes alone add enough liquid.

I added 6 cloves garlic and a little more red pepper flakes. Separate the tomato sauce but include it all. I would bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Then at 20 minutes add 2 ounces of parmigiana and then cook for another 20 minutes.

This is a great weeknight dish. Aside from being delicious and light, it is easy and quick to prepare with minimal cleanup. I haven’t found many other uses for boneless skinless chicken breasts that don’t require some time in a marinade. The chicken didn’t get at all dried out thanks to liquid released from the tomatoes. I added about five minutes to the cooking time to reach a safe temperature followed by about two minutes under the broiler. I used rosemary sprigs and basil from the garden.

Excellent! A 5 star recipe. Have made this with fresh cherry tomatoes and/or canned tomatoes with rosemary [no thyme] extra garlic/a bit more Parmesan. Served with cauliflower rice [lower carb]. Chicken breasts were enormous so I butterflied them. Family or friends dinner [post covid].

Why drain the tomatoes? Keep the juice and make some pasta. Then you've got more sauce.

Making sure to start cooking from room temperature chicken rather than fridge temp helps make sure the chicken doesn't dry out in the oven due to being in there too long.

Made this twice and it has a very high result:effort ratio. Used Kirkland canned San Marzano tomatoes and didn’t drain, as the juice was fairly thick and tasted good. Portioned each chicken breast into two parts and arranged in a large gratin dish. Mixed the grated parmigiano-reggiano with panko and added that after about 12 minutes. Big hit and the chicken breasts were perfect and juicy, with nicely browned panko/parmigiano topping. Now a go-to for guests.

Better with tomatoes in purée than tomatoes in juice : they brown in the oven. One of the best time/deliciousness recipe I know

I used double the tomatoes and was glad I did—they were tasty.

Easy to put together, especially for a weeknight. Used up a can of diced tomatoes instead of the whole peeled tomatoes. Separately, parboiled baby potatoes (cut in half) then finished roasting them at the same time (was easy and a great idea). The good flavor/low prep time ratio makes this a keeper.

very hard to get parmesan to brown without overcooking chicken. have tried broiler, changing times w/without parmesan. always tastes great though.

Enjoyed! Used fresh vine cherry toms. Added more garlic & red pep flakes. Cooked chick longer. Thinner breasts = better. Added onion (shallots okay). I cooked fettuccine- reserve some pasta water. Once chick was done I removed the breasts to rest (under foil) and heated the pan over stove and crushed the tomatoes & garlic with slotted spoon - stirring and adding pasta water to a good consistency (creamy). Used “sauce” over pasta with fresh chopped parsley and more parm. Lemon over chick.

Definitely disappointed with this recipe. I’ll try some of the suggestions. I just can’t figure out how to get moist chicken if using just tomatoes? Bummed

Making sure to start cooking from room temperature chicken rather than fridge temp helps make sure the chicken doesn't dry out in the oven due to being in there too long.

So good -and easy- but I added 10 min to bake time -at 15" then add Parmesan bake for another 15-20. Also used rosemary instead of thyme and added leftover zucchini to the tomato 'nest' and mozzarella bufala at the beginning which is optional but that is how we make it in Umbria. An entire meal in one dish!

I used chicken legs, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Delicious and so easy to make. Two extra steps: 1) Before cooking I did air dry the chicken legs in the refrigerator for about 12 hours, and 2) at the end of the baking time, I put the dish under the broiler to give it a final crisp. Will definitely be making this again.

I should not have cut my chicken breasts in half. Turned out overcooked and rubbery. I may try bone-in next time. The sauce was delicious. Served with brown rice (it wasn’t needed).

I used bone-in breasts and fire roasted tomatoes, doubled the garlic and added a couple of chopped Kalmatas to the sauce. Served with farro. Definitely do not skip the basil. Delish.

I got a little adventurous and added capers and olives. Delicious!

Share Summer arrives early in Central Florida sooooo…I always use sliced FRESH tomatoes and chicken thighs. With everything else the same it takes 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes in the oven. Delicious and easy!

Adding pesto to the tomatoes is a great flavor boost! I didn’t mind the extra liquid because I served over tortellini. Will make again - super easy!

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