Description
This Easy Baked Caesar Chicken recipe features tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts baked with creamy Caesar dressing, melted provolone cheese, and a crunchy crouton topping. Perfect for a quick and flavorful weeknight dinner, this dish combines classic Caesar salad flavors with comforting baked chicken, ready in just 35 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to an even thickness)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Toppings
- ½ cup creamy Caesar dressing
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 1 cup Caesar-style croutons
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish to prevent sticking.
- Prepare chicken: Arrange the pounded chicken breasts in a single layer in the baking dish and season both sides evenly with salt and black pepper.
- Add Caesar dressing and cheese: Spread the creamy Caesar dressing evenly over each chicken breast, then top each piece completely with slices of provolone cheese.
- Prepare crouton topping: Crush the Caesar-style croutons into fine crumbs inside a large Ziplock bag and sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the cheese-topped chicken.
- Bake the chicken: Place the dish on the center oven rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the topping is golden brown. If the crouton topping browns too quickly, loosely cover the dish with foil for the remainder of cooking time to prevent burning.
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked safely to 165°F internally.
- Pounding chicken to an even thickness helps it cook evenly and prevents dryness.
- For extra crunch, consider adding a tablespoon of melted butter to the crouton crumbs before topping.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated gently in the oven.
- Substitute provolone with mozzarella or cheddar if preferred.
