Looking for a delicious chicken breast recipe? This Chicken Bocconcini is an easy and delicious one-pan meal, with skillet browned bone-in chicken breasts, tomatoes, pancetta and melted bocconcini. Delicious with just a side salad, or serve with a bit of pasta.

chicken breasts with tomato sauce and bocconcini in skillet

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken – I’ve used bone-in/skin-on chicken breasts here, but you could use bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs or even boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed, to be sure the chicken cooks thoroughly. (Boneless chicken will take less time).

Bocconcini – I used cherry-sized bocconcini, but generous chunks of mozzarella would also work nicely (either fresh mozzarella or pizza-style).

Pancetta – pancetta is lovely in this dish, but you could substitute regular bacon cut up into strips or cubes.

Recipe Tips

This chicken bocconcini is lovely served on top of or alongside pasta or simple serve with a side salad.

This dish re-heats really well. I made mine ahead and re-heated in a 350° F. oven just until warm. The sauce thickened a bit, but the chicken didn’t dry out at all. For boneless/skinless chicken, I would consider covering with foil for some or all of the re-heating to keep the moisture in the chicken.

chicken breasts with tomato sauce and bocconcini in skillet

chicken breasts with tomato sauce and bocconcini in skillet

Get the Recipe: Chicken Bocconcini

This delicious chicken bocconcini dinner is delicious served with a side salad or served along with some cooked pasta.
5 stars from 4 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs bone-in/skin-on chicken breasts, or thighs, legs or drumsticks or combination
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 5 oz pancetta, diced (or bacon diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 28 oz canned whole plum tomatoes
  • 1 large sprig of basil, plus more chopped basil for serving
  • 8 oz bocconcini, halved (or use mozzarella cut into 3/4-inch pieces)

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 400° F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted) Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
  • In a large oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Remove pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate.
  • Add chicken to skillet. Sear, turning only occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil.
  • Add garlic, anchovy (if using) and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, until sauce thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes.
  • Return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink, about 30 minutes for thighs/drumsticks and up to 45 minutes for large breasts/legs.
  • (*Note: if using large chicken breasts, you may want to remove them from the pan before broiling. As they sit quite high up in the pan, they are likely to burn on top before the bocconcini are browned/melted.)
  • Scatter bocconcini (or mozzarella) and pancetta pieces over skillet. Adjust oven to broil. Return skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully to see that it does not burn). Garnish with chopped basil before serving.

Notes

Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 714kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 87g, Fat: 38g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 261mg, Sodium: 675mg, Potassium: 1337mg, Vitamin A: 205IU, Vitamin C: 4.8mg, Calcium: 224mg, Iron: 1.5mg
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