Chicken Bruschetta Casserole (Printable)

Baked chicken with fresh tomato basil bruschetta topping, melted mozzarella, and crispy bread cubes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken Base

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
04 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
05 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Bruschetta Topping

06 - 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
07 - ⅓ cup red onion, finely diced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
10 - 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
13 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Casserole Assembly

14 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
15 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 - 1 cup dried Italian bread cubes (or gluten-free bread cubes)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
02 - Place the chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and rub evenly with Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
03 - In a medium mixing bowl, combine the quartered cherry tomatoes, diced red onion, minced garlic, chopped basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Stir gently until well incorporated.
04 - Spoon the bruschetta mixture evenly over the seasoned chicken breasts.
05 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan evenly over the bruschetta layer. Scatter the bread cubes across the top of the casserole.
06 - Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F) and the topping is golden brown and bubbly.
07 - Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh basil if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It captures everything addictive about bruschetta but requires zero careful assembly or toasted bread balancing.
  • The chicken stays incredibly juicy because the tomato mixture essentially bastes it the entire time it is in the oven.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients sitting around already, especially during tomato season.
02 -
  • Do not skip the five minute rest because slicing too early means all those delicious juices pool on your cutting board instead of staying in the chicken.
  • If your bread cubes are fresh and soft rather than dried, toast them in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil first or they will turn gummy instead of crispy.
03 -
  • Quarter the tomatoes no more than an hour before assembling or they release too much liquid and water down the finished dish.
  • A pinch of red pepper flakes added to the bruschetta mixture gives it a subtle heat that most people cannot identify but everyone notices is missing when it is not there.

Return