Updated and better than ever! Today I’m re-sharing one of my very favorite dinner recipes with a few simple updates that vastly improve the flavor and texture of the dish. If there’s a way to make a recipe better, you can be sure that my team and I will test it. I’m fiercely dedicated to bringing you the best tested recipes I can. And sometimes that means we need to revisit and retest old favorites. (See blueberry pie as an example!) Which brings us to today’s massively flavorful, yet simple dinner recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Bruschetta Chicken
This all-in-one meal is light and healthy, yet satisfying. Cook everything in 1 skillet. Prep ahead of time and cook later. It’s naturally gluten free, and can be made dairy free, if using dairy-free Italian dressing. The recipe uses simple, fresh, and healthy ingredients.
Do These 2 Steps in Advance
Grab These 2 Kitchen Tools
Skillet: Make the bruschetta chicken entirely on the stovetop in a big skillet. The skillet won’t go into the oven, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be oven-safe. This is the cast iron skillet I own and love. I use it for skillet turkey pot pie, my frittata recipe and Dutch baby pancake recipe, sea salt and herb rolls, honey skillet cornbread, cornmeal cake, biscuits, and more Spiralizer: When I prepare this dinner as well as this peanut chicken zucchini noodles dish, I usually spiralize zucchini myself at home. But if you don’t have a spiralizer, zucchini noodles are pretty easy to find these days in most grocery stores in the produce department, or you can use frozen. You can also simply slice the fresh zucchini into thin strips—see recipe Notes.
Can I Use Regular Pasta? If you prefer pasta instead of zucchini noodles, I recommend using 1 pound of angel hair pasta. Cook and drain it according to package directions. Toss the cooked and drained pasta with a scant 1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce before adding to the skillet in step 5, for added flavor. The zucchini noodles absorb a lot of flavor from the pan, but regular pasta doesn’t. In some countries, zucchini is called “courgette,” and zucchini noodles are called “courgetti.”
Chicken: You need 4 medium-sized (about 6 ounces or 170g each) boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds (680g) total. Italian Dressing: You can use store-bought or homemade Italian dressing, whatever kind you like best. If I’m making it at home, I really love this homemade Italian dressing. Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a store-bought herb blend, but you can make your own homemade Italian seasoning. It’s optional, but I like adding it to the Italian dressing marinade to amp up the flavor. Tomatoes: We’re going for about 3 cups of chopped tomatoes; any variety, color, and size of tomato will do. Fresh Garlic: 2 cloves, which is about 1/2 teaspoon minced. Fresh Basil: The recipe calls for 3 Tablespoons of chopped basil leaves, but feel free to add more fresh basil on top to serve. Olive Oil, Salt, & Pepper: Cooking basics you likely already have. Zucchini: Zucchini varies greatly in size, but I use about 1.5 pounds (680g) of zucchini, which is usually about 2 large or 3 medium. This recipe is very forgiving if you have more or less than exactly 1.5 pounds. And if you find yourself with leftovers, you could add some to this creamy chicken pasta salad or check out my roundup of favorite zucchini recipes. I’m sure you’ll find something to love! Parmesan Cheese: Optional, for serving.
I usually use these glass containers for marinating and they work just as well for storing leftovers and freezing meals/baked goods. (See 8 Freezer Meals for some inspiration!)
Now Let’s Get Cooking!
Make this dinner entirely in 1 pan, just like this lemon thyme chicken and cornbread chili casserole. (Have more zucchini than you can fit in one pan? Try zucchini bread, these zucchini muffins, or hide it in this chocolate zucchini cake.) Slicing the chicken, instead of serving whole, was another suggestion from a reader. Sliced chicken absorbs more flavor and the finished dish is easier to eat. I’ve also made this dish with baked chicken meatballs instead of the chicken breasts. Cook the marinated chicken: Heat your skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the marinated chicken, cover, and cook for 10–15 minutes, turning a few times, until it’s cooked through. Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board, but don’t clean out the skillet. Slice the chicken. Cook the zucchini noodles: Add another Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, followed by the zucchini noodles and 1 cup of the bruschetta topping. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The noodles will cook down, absorbing the flavors. Remove from heat and carefully drain off most of the liquid. (A reader suggested draining some liquid and it definitely improves the dish.) Combine all ingredients: Return the skillet to the stovetop, and add the sliced cooked chicken and the remaining bruschetta mixture. Cook, stirring, for about a minute, until warmed through. Piping hot zucchini noodles before adding the sliced chicken: And dinner is ready! Top the chicken and zucchini noodles with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some more fresh basil to serve. This dish is great on its own, but you could also serve it alongside some fresh bread, like dinner rolls, homemade breadsticks, cornbread muffins, olive bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, or homemade artisan bread. Or even these savory zucchini biscuits, especially if you have leftover zucchini!
