Here’s a smart, quick, and truly tasty idea: gratinated chicken bites with vegetables. Not the usual chicken breast in the pan but crispy on the outside and tender inside.
I had friends over for dinner, and I must say it was a big hit. You prepare it in a flash, a unique, colorful, and diet-friendly dish that’s easy and makes little mess.
The lightness of white meat, combined with the oven-baking method with little oil and the richness of the vegetables in this recipe, makes it a perfect dish for a light dinner.
I used chicken breast, but turkey breast works just fine too. Cut into chunks of the same size, and you’re already off to a good start; then add the vegetables.
As for vegetables, I had red and yellow bell peppers, fresh zucchini, and new white onions in the fridge.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use the vegetables you like best. If I had had an eggplant, for example, I would have added it gladly.
So it can be customized according to our tastes and is perfect for a midweek dinner.
Let me repeat in a few steps… cut the meat and vegetables into chunks and pour everything into a large bowl. Then add grated cheese and breadcrumbs to make the dish crispy. Season with oil, salt, and pepper, mix carefully, and pour everything onto a baking sheet. Just over half an hour in the oven at 375°F (190°C), and the chicken with vegetables is ready!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 383.22 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.88 (g) of which sugars 5.62 (g)
- Proteins 53.40 (g)
- Fat 15.66 (g) of which saturated 4.74 (g)of which unsaturated 2.60 (g)
- Fibers 2.26 (g)
- Sodium 935.80 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Gratinated Chicken Bites
- 1.76 lbs chicken breast (or turkey)
- 1 zucchini (large or two small)
- 2 bell peppers (1 red 1 yellow)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 white onion
- 1 bunch parsley
- 7 tbsps breadcrumbs (or gluten-free)
- 3 tbsps Parmesan cheese
- as needed milk (or semi-skimmed or lactose-free milk)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Baking Dishes
- Parchment Paper
Steps for Gratinated Chicken Bites
Place the chicken breast in a bowl, cover it with milk, and let it sit for half an hour.
(You can also use lactose-free milk).
Drain the chicken and cut it into bites.
Wash and dry all the vegetables.
Cut the bell pepper slices directly into the bowl after removing the seeds.
Add the cherry tomatoes by cutting them in half.
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise after trimming and slice them into the bowl.
Add one onion, cut into wedges.
Add the sliced chicken breast to all the chopped vegetables.
Season with grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and oil.
(If you have gluten issues, use gluten-free breadcrumbs).
Mix.
Spread the chicken and vegetables on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a “ventilated” oven (preheated) at 375°F for about 30 minutes, then continue cooking in “grill” mode for a few minutes to get a nice golden crust.
Remove gratinated chicken with vegetables from the oven and serve at the table.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips
We can customize the ingredient list for oven-baked chicken bites with vegetables based on what we have at home and what we like best. For example, we can use only red, yellow, or green bell peppers, only zucchini, or replace them with eggplants or fennel: let your imagination run wild!
To flavor the dish, you can also use spices like curry or herbs like chives.
Storage
Oven-baked chicken bites with vegetables are best enjoyed freshly baked when the crust formed by the gratinated breadcrumbs and grated cheese is nice and crispy.
If we don’t finish them all right away, we can put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for one or two days. What remains can also be used to fill some flatbreads.
If you liked this recipe, click on many stars, thank you very much.
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