Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Pomodoro is a mouthwatering one-pan 30-minute meal for the whole family! It features juicy Italian-seasoned chicken stuffed with mozzarella and pesto cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce. Add this restaurant-worthy dish to your weekly rotation and be sure to make enough for seconds!
Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Breast Pomodoro is a cozy, chicken dinner everyone will love. It checks all of the boxes: fast prep, delicious, easy cleanup. In Italian, pomodoro means tomato, and this chicken is full of fresh tomato flavor!
We leveled up a classic Italian chicken pomodoro by simmering stuffed chicken breast with mozzarella and pesto in a homemade tomato sauce. Serve it with a vegetable, like Sautéed Broccoletti, for a well-rounded 30-minute gluten-free meal.
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About this Dish
- Taste - The rich pesto combines with the creamy mozzarella and vibrant cherry tomatoes to create a robustly flavored chicken dish.
- Texture - The chicken is tender and the cherry tomatoes are slightly firm with juicy insides.
- Effort - This chicken pomodoro has a few simple steps. First, you need to prepare and sear the chicken. Then cook the tomato sauce and cook the chicken in the sauce.
- Time - It takes about 5 minutes to prep the stuffed chicken breast with mozzarella then about 25 minutes to cook the chicken and sauce.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts - Boneless skinless chicken breast is a lean and healthy cut of chicken meat. While chicken breasts are not known for being the juiciest part of the chicken, this recipe is moist and succulent.
- Mozzarella cheese - Mozzarella is a creamy and lightly flavored Italian cheese
- Pesto - We recommend our basil pesto, spinach pesto, and kale walnut pesto because both are easy and pair deliciously with the chicken. However, you can also use a store-bought pesto.
- Garlic cloves and powder - Garlic cloves and powder add the classic aromatic with a pungent taste.
- Dried basil and oregano - Dried oregano and basil add a bold and earthy flavor.
- Olive oil - Extra virgin olive oil is a flavorful base for cooking the chicken pomodoro.
- Shallot - Shallot has the flavor of a mild onion without the bite.
- Cherry tomatoes - Cherry or grape tomatoes are best for this recipe. Heirloom cherry tomatoes are especially bright and flavorful.
- White wine - White wine adds sweetness and helps deglaze the pan.
- Chicken broth - It offers a light and savory flavor that does not overwhelm the other ingredients.
- Fresh basil - Torn basil adds a fresh and herby garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Fresh mozzarella - Fresh mozzarella is slightly saltier and richer than normal mozzarella.
- Kale walnut pesto - Try our Kale Pesto for a slightly more peppery pesto.
- Canned tomatoes - If fresh tomatoes are not in season, make this dish with canned whole San Marzano tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes by hand and simmer with the shallots and garlic.
- Italian seasoning - Instead of separate herbs, use premixed Italian seasoning.
Variations
- Spicy - Add red chili pepper flakes to the tomatoes to imbue heat into the chicken.
- Lemon - Squeeze a little lemon juice on the chicken to brighten it up.
- Thyme - Seasoning with thyme adds an earthy and slightly lemony flavor.
- Rosemary - Rosemary adds a peppery and piney flavor.
Instructions
- Cut chicken - Place chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Tenderize the breasts to make them the same thickness. Use a knife to cut about ¾ of the way through the chicken without cutting all the way through. Make the incision parallel to the cutting board. This creates a pocket to hold the cheese. (Photo 1)
- Stuff chicken - Spread about a ½ tablespoon of pesto inside of the chicken breast pockets. Place a slice of mozzarella or about a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella inside of the pockets on top of the pesto and push the cheese to the back of the pocket. Use toothpicks to close the pockets. (Photo 2, 3, and 4)
- Season chicken - Rub the breasts with about a tablespoon of olive oil and season the outside of the chicken with garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper on both sides, or season to taste. You can also use premixed Italian seasoning. (Photo 5)
- Sear chicken - Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet. Sear chicken until golden, about 4 minutes each side. Place the lid on once you flip the chicken over. Remove the mozzarella stuffed chicken breast from the pan. (Photo 6, 7, and 8)
- Make tomato sauce - In the same skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots to the oil and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and allow them to cook untouched for 2-3 minutes until they begin to char and blister. Stir the tomatoes and add white wine to deglaze the pan. (Photo 9 and 10)
- Add broth and simmer - Once most of the wine burns off, turn down the heat, stir in chicken broth, and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes. Add torn basil leaves, pepper, and salt, and give the sauce a stir to mix all of the ingredients.
- Cook chicken in sauce - Add chicken back into the pan and nestle each breast in the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce onto each piece and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees farenheit. Remove the pan from heat and serve immediately. (Photo 11 and 12)
Pro tip: Don't overstuff the chicken with cheese or the cheese will fall out of the chicken while it cooks.
What to Serve with Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts
This stuffed chicken is a rich and flavorful dinner. We love it with a basic arugula salad, Harvest Quinoa Salad, or a veggie like our Sautéed Broccolini (Broccoletti) or Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan for a complete and filling meal.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, the only ingredient that sometimes contains gluten is chicken broth. In order to ensure this recipe is gluten-free, make sure the broth is gluten-free.
No, the chicken is richly seasoned and flavorful, but not spicy. If you want to make it spicy, add some red chili pepper flakes to the sauce.
This shouldn't be an issue since we don't over-stuff the chicken with cheese. One way ensure the cheese stays in is to seal the chicken with toothpicks. Also, we noticed that sliced mozzarella is less likely to melt out than grated mozzarella.
Stick a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken, it is done cooking once it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Yes, first follow the steps to sear the chicken breasts on both sides for a few minutes. Then place them on a baking sheet or pyrex baking dish and pop them in the oven at 400°F for approximately 15 minutes. Be sure to keep the chicken covered so the moisture stays locked in.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken pomodoro for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. In order to reheat the stuffed chicken breast with mozzarella, let it temper for 10 minutes, then reheat it in a covered pan over low heat.
Top tip
- If your breasts are different thicknesses, tenderize them to make them the same thickness. This will ensure they cook evenly all the way through.
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📖 Recipe
Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Pomodoro
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts even sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon pesto divided
- 2 oz mozzarella about 4 slices of fresh mozzarella; about a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- black cracked pepper
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 shallot chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- â…“ cup white wine
- â…“ cup chicken broth
- fresh basil torn
Instructions
- Cut chicken - Place the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Tenderize the breasts to make them the same thickness. Use a knife to cut about ¾ of the way through the chicken without cutting all the way through. Make the incision parallel to the cutting board. This creates a pocket that will hold the cheese.2 chicken breasts
- Stuff and season chicken - Spread about a ½ tablespoon of pesto inside of the chicken breast pockets. Place a slice of mozzarella or about a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella inside of the pockets on top of the pesto and push the cheese toward the back of the pocket. Use toothpicks to close the pockets. Rub the breasts with about a tablespoon of olive oil and season the outside of the chicken with the garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper on both sides, or season to taste. You can also use premixed Italian seasoning.1 tablespoon pesto, 2 oz mozzarella, 3 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon sea salt, black cracked pepper
- Sear chicken - Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken until each piece is golden, about 4 minutes each side. Place the lid on once you flip the chicken over. Remove the chicken from the pan.3 tablespoon olive oil
- Make tomato sauce - In the same skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots to the oil and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and allow them to cook untouched for 2-3 minutes until they begin to char and blister. Stir the tomatoes and add white wine to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bits of chicken and tomatoes from the pan.3 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, ⅓ cup white wine
- Cook chicken in sauce - Once most of the wine burns off, turn down the heat, stir in chicken broth, and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes. Add torn basil leaves, pepper, and salt, and give the sauce a stir to incorporate all of the ingredients. Add chicken back into the pan and nestle each breast in the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce onto each piece and simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Remove the pan from heat and serve immediately.â…“ cup chicken broth, fresh basil
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover chicken pomodoro for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. In order to reheat the chicken, let it temper for 10 minutes, then reheat it in a covered pan over low heat.
- If your breasts are different thicknesses, tenderize them to make them the same thickness. This will ensure they cook evenly all the way through.
- Use premixed Italian seasoning instead of separate herbs.Â
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