Love Chicken Parmesan? This easy Tomato Parmesan Chicken gives you all of the flavor with none of the effort. Whips up in minutes and freezer friendly too!
My family loves Italian-style food, especially Chicken Parmesan. And while I love making them happy, what I don’t love is the time, effort, and mess involved in making the traditional breaded-then-fried-then-baked version. Not. Gonna. Happen. Because, as you probably already know by now, I much prefer simple meals that whip up fast and can be frozen ahead as part of a freezer cooking day.
Luckily this yummy and SUPER easy Tomato Parmesan Chicken gives us the best of both worlds. It’s the flavor my family loves with the convenience that I crave! And let me tell you, this recipe is a home run. No one will ever know you didn’t slave for hours! As always, you can use any type of chicken but my family much prefers the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are a darker, juicier meat and also tend to be cheaper than the boneless skinless breasts.
To see the full 10 Meals in an Hour Plan that this recipe is a part of, go HERE.
Tomato Parmesan Chicken
Here is what you need:
1 24 oz jar tomato/spaghetti sauce (like Ragu) (NOTE: the picture shows 2 jars but I only used 1) 2 15oz cans tomatoes, drained 1-1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese 1 cup mozzarella, shredded (optional) 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced 1/3 cup fresh parsley 3-4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, rinsed and dried.
Step 1: Press or mince garlic and chop parsley.
Step 2: Combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, seasoning, parsley and garlic.
Step 3: OPTIONAL: If making as part of a freezer cooking day, remember to label your 2 gallon size freezer bags then divide chicken into 2 bags. Pour sauce over chicken.
Step 4: Thaw if frozen. Pour contents of bag into casserole dish, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) and bake, covered, at 425 degrees for approx for 35-45 minutes (time may vary based on size of chicken–be sure to check before eating!) Alternatively, you can cook in crock-pot for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high (but we HIGHLY recommend using the oven–it gives it a much better flavor and texture!)

Easy Tomato Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 24 oz. jar tomato/spaghetti sauce such as Ragu
- 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes drained
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley
- 3-4 lbs skinless boneless chicken
Instructions
- Press or mince garlic and chop parsley.
- Combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, seasoning, parsley and garlic.
- OPTIONAL: If making as part of a freezer cooking day, remember to label your 2 gallon size freezer bags then divide chicken into 2 bags. Pour sauce over chicken.
Thaw if frozen. Pour contents of bag into casserole dish, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese (optional) and bake, covered, at 425 degrees for approx for 35-45 minutes (time may vary based on size of chicken--be sure to check before eating!)
Recipe Notes
You can cook in crock-pot for 4-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high (but we HIGHLY recommend using the oven--it gives it a much better flavor and texture!)
Other freezer-friendly recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Slow-Cooker Cranberry Chicken
- Freezer-to-Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Spinach & Sausage One Pot Pasta
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Making this for Sunday lunch. After baking 30 minutes chicken is raw. Didn’t think 30 minutes could be right!
Me too! Maybe 45 or 50 min????
In her description she mentioned that she likes to use chicken thighs. If you use a chicken breast it will take probably 55 minutes I’d guess.
I used chicken thighs but time was still wrong. It was delicious but definitely needs to cook longer!
I just made this last week & it is delicious! Thank you! 🙂
I’m so confused!
– Tomato sauce (what’s called for in the recipe) and spaghetti sauce (what’s showing in the picture) are completely different things. Which do I use?
– Two cans of spaghetti sauce are shown in the picture – do I use one jar or two?
– Serves 8?! How?
– Remember to label bags and divide into bags – how many bags?
– If I’m dividing and freezing to save later, do I just divide the 1 c. of mozzarella into the same number of bags I’ve divided into?
Made this last night and it was WAY too watery when cooked covered. I’ll try again uncovered next time. I’m really excited about the simplicity of this recipe, but the instructions leave a lot open. Please reply with help.
These directions ARE confusing. I’ve been cooking and following recipes for 30 years!!
I’m so sorry for the confusion. I’ve clarified the ingredients and the sizes. The tomato/spaghetti sauce I use is a 24oz jar of Ragu. I only used one jar, even though 2 are shown in the picture. It should make two servings of 4 if you are separating the chicken into 2 bags (1 1/2-2 pounds of chicken per bag.) The mozzarella, if adding, should not be added until you are ready to cook it. I have clarified the instructions so hopefully you won’t have any more trouble!
Do you always cook from a slow cooker? I usually do, if I’m strap for time plus I love the smell when you open the door.! I switch from slow cooker to the oven. It depends on my day. Do you post recipes about anything, my family loves chicken and I started to buy ground turkey. Do you use it? My family loves when I make stuffed peppers with them. If you have recipes for chicken or ground turkey please can you share? Can I why don’t like chicken breast, is it too hard to cut of why? I never had chicken thighs going to look! I make homemade white chicken chili and my turkey chili! I will be starting those 2 recipes real soon! Well take care! Have a positive day!
My name is Christine
This definitely makes 2 to 3 separate batches depending on how much chicken you use. I use 1 lb of chicken breasts & have enough sauce leftover for 2 more times.
The recipe calls for 3-4 pounds of chicken so that you can make two batches. That’s why you had so much sauce left over with one pound of chicken.