The weeknight dinner of your dreams.
Seriously, it will be. This easy Mozzarella Chicken dinner is comforting, cheesy, and restaurant-worthy without requiring hours in the kitchen. It uses chicken breasts (a staple ingredient in most homes nowadays), tomato sauce (a Filipino favorite), and mozzarella cheese (who doesn’t love cheesy goodness?) for a filling meal that’s also simple to assemble.
An easy one-pan chicken dish you can make anytime, this works best on those busy, hectic weekday or nights when you run out of ideas on what to serve your family.
The best part about this Mozzarella Chicken is that it can be served with rice, bread or even a simple aglio olio pasta. And if you have any leftovers, you can easily pack it up for baon the next day!
Substitutions & Alternatives
This dish is so easy to make you don’t even have to make a grocery run if you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand. Check your pantry for these alternatives you can use:
- If you don’t have fresh mozzarella, feel free to swap it with your favorite melty cheese. If you don’t mind losing that stretchy pull of mozzarella, you can also use quezo de bola or kesong puti to retain the salty-cheesy component that works well with the richness of the tomato sauce.
- No balsamic vinegar? No problem! Use cane or white vinegar mixed with a little brown sugar (a teaspoon or so would do). The juice of 1 or 2 calamansi would also work to add brightness to the dish. Just add them gradually so as not to overpower the dish.
- Swap the crushed tomatoes with regular tomato sauce or even spaghetti sauce. Or for a truly familiar flavor, use Filipino-style spaghetti sauce that’s a hit with everyone!
- For a more indulgent, luxuriously creamy version, add a touch of all-purpose cream or milk to the tomato sauce.
- Add a touch of spicy with a sprinkling or two of chili flakes or hot sauce.
What to serve this with
Mozzarella Chicken is a meal on its own, but why not pair it with white or garlic rice? This dish also works served with buttered garlic bread (pandesal or baguette slices). Looking for sides to pair with? Try buttered corn and carrots, mashed potatoes or steamed veggies like cauliflower, broccoli or French beans.