Name: Simple Baked Chicken and Zucchini
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts; 5 Medium Zucchini, sliced; 4 Medium Tomatoes, sliced; 1 Egg; 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs; 1/2 Tsp Salt; 1/2 Tsp Pepper; 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided; 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided; 2 Tsp. Fresh Basil, minced; 1 Tbsp. Water

Simple Baked Chicken and Zucchini

With a little bit of prep, you can make a hearty meal for the family with almost zero effort. This chicken is quick to get into the oven and tastes great too! Served with rice, this simple baked chicken and zucchini is a great dinner for any night of the week.

Start each recipe off with fresh organic ingredients and you can never go wrong. This one is one of the family favorites when we have extra zucchini from the garden. What a great way to use up your home grown produce too.

Prep work is simple, just slice up some zucchini and tomatoes, crack an egg and get to cooking! Well, it’s almost that simple as you will see.

Supplies you will need

For this to get prepared you will be needing a few items from your pantry other than ingredients. Here is the list of required materials:

Large heavy skillet
13 x 9 baking dish
Knife and cutting board
Aluminum foil
2 small shallow bowls

That’s not so bad, is it? I’ve made recipes that used a lot more than just two pans and one knife many times. Fewer pans means easier clean up. Now that you’ve gathered your supplies, let’s get to it.

Cooking Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start off by mixing 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in one of your bowls. Crack your egg into the other bowl and add a tablespoon of water and mix it up. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet.

Start cooking by dipping the chicken into the egg mixture and then coating it in the bread crumb mixture. Make sure you save two tablespoons of the breadcrumbs out before you dip the chicken in it. Brown on both sides for two to three minutes on each side. When this is done, set the chicken off to the side.

Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and lightly saute the zucchini until it is slightly browned. Drain off any liquids that leaked from the zucchini, as this squash is known for doing just that. Transfer the partially cooked zucchini to your baking dish covering the bottom. Sprinkle those reserved breadcrumbs on top of this layer.

Next cover the zucchini with your sliced tomatoes and top them off with about 2/3 of your cheese. Layer the chicken over this and cover with aluminum foil. Bake it at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through.

The final step is to uncover it, sprinkle the rest of your cheese on it and return it to the oven to melt the cheese. Serve with either rice or pasta to complete your meal.

There you have it! A tasty, almost no effort meal that is simply wonderful to have. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.