Easy Calabrian Chicken with Mozzarella

An easy, flavorful, and fiery recipe, this spicy Calabrian chicken with mozzarella comes together in a flash. It’s the perfect recipe for a quick chicken dinner.

Any easy, cheesy baked chicken with fiery Calabrian chili peppers

This spicy Calabrian chicken recipe is easy to prepare but delivers bold, fiery flavor thanks to a simple marinade with Calabrian chili peppers. The simple marinade brings tangy, fruity, smoky notes to this dish that are just irresistibly delicious.

What you need

This meal is easy to prepare with just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need.

• Calabrian peppers in oil: Everything will be going in a food processor, so you can use whole chili peppers in oil or buy crushed Calabrian chili peppers.
• Aromatics: I use garlic, shallot, minced parsley, and dry thyme.
• Lemon juice: I use the juice from one lemon, which gives about 1 to 2 tablespoons juice total.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Chicken: I opt for quick cooking thinly sliced chicken cutlets, but you can use whole chicken breasts and increase the baking time. You could also make this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
• Fresh mozzarella cheese: I buy fresh mozzarella cheese and thinly slice it into rounds. You can also make this with shredded mozzarella cheese, too.

How to make it

• Step 1: Make the marinade for the chicken. This is probably one of my favorite chicken marinades I’ve ever made. I just love how piquant and flavorful it is! Simply gather the marinade ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a paste forms.

• Step 2: Marinate the chicken. I use a storage bag, but you can also throw everything in a bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and pour the marinade on top. Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Because the chicken is quite thin, I don’t recommend marinating longer than 8 to 12 hours, or the acidity of the marinade may cause the chicken to become mushy.

• Step 3: Pan-fry the chicken. Heat a little oil in a skillet and add the chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

• Step 4: Bake the chicken. After you cook each side of the chicken, arrange the mozzarella slices on top. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil and transfer to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes if using thinly sliced chicken breasts or 20 to 25 minutes or whole chicken breasts. Remove from the oven and finish with fresh basil leaves or minced parsley.

Now you can plate it up! Simply transfer the chicken with some of the juices from the pan to shallow bowls. The chicken is delicious served with risotto or mashed potatoes. You could also serve the cutlets on sandwich rolls with dressed arugula. Delicious!

Community-tested and community-approved. Here’s what Tasters are saying about this recipe.

“This Calabrian chicken was out of this world!

I’m usually a fan of darker meat–because, well, FLAVOR–but this marinade really did the trick for these chicken breasts. This was easy to throw together and perfect for meal prep lunches and dinner.”

–Macie S., Independent Recipe Tester

To join my recipe-testing program, sign up here.

Easy Calabrian Chicken with Mozzarella

Chicken with Calabrian peppers makes for an easy dinner! You will love this spicy Calabrian chicken with mozzarella recipe.

4.45 from 43 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Inactive Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 354kcal

Equipment

• Large skillet ovenproof

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons crushed Calabrian chili peppers (more or less depending on heat tolerance; see Note 1)
• 8 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1 shallot (peeled; about 2 ounces total)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (loosely packed; minced)
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 lemon (juiced; about 1½ tablespoons juice total)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Chicken:

• 1 pound thinly sliced chicken breasts
• Calabrian marinade
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (for frying)
• ¼ cup white wine or chicken broth (optional)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced into rounds)
• 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Fresh basil leaves (for garnish)

Instructions

Prepare the marinade:

• Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor and pulse until blended. Taste and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Marinate the chicken:

• Transfer the chicken to a storage bag or large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the chicken:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Heat the neutral oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes without moving. Flip the chicken and add the white wine or chicken broth if using. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Bake the chicken:

• Cover each piece of chicken with fresh mozzarella. Transfer to the oven for 10 to 12 minutes if using thinly sliced breasts or 20 to 25 minutes for whole breasts or thighs.
• Once the chicken reaches about 160ºF, turn on the broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Check the temperature again to ensure the chicken has reached 165ºF. Turn off the broiler. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

To serve:

• Sprinkle the baked chicken with fresh basil leaves. Serve with risotto, buttered noodles, or on toasted sandwich rolls with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: If you can’t find chopped Calabrian chili peppers, use crushed red pepper flakes instead. I recommend starting with 1 to 2 teaspoons and adding more until the marinade reaches your desired spiciness level.

Nutrition

Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 1073mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 24mg

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