High Protein Tuscan Chicken Bake
A creamy Tuscan chicken bake with a blended cottage cheese and parmesan sauce, 52 grams of protein per serving, one dish and no stovetop sauce.
Equipment
- Blender
- 9x13 baking dish
- meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts are totally fine for this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp freshly cracker pepper
For the Sauce
- 1 cup full fat cottage cheese
- ¾ cup chunks of parmesan cheese (cut up into ½ inch chunks for blending)
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- ½ cup A2 milk or 2% milk A2 has slightly more protein
- 2 cloves garlic, whole
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the Topping
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- Fresh basil to finish
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with olive oil.
- Pat the chicken dry and arrange it in the dish in a single layer. Combine the salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl, then rub over both sides of the chicken.
- Add the cottage cheese, ¾ cup parmesan, cream cheese, milk, garlic, and salt to a blender. Blend 30 to 60 seconds until completely smooth with no visible curds.
- Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken and spread to the edges of the dish.
- Scatter the diced tomatoes and chopped spinach over the top, then finish with the remaining parmesan.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F at the thickest point.
- Uncover and broil 2 to 3 minutes for browned, bubbly cheese, if desired.
- Rest 5 minutes, finish with fresh herbs and more parmesan, and spoon the sauce over each serving.
Notes
- Blend the sauce until completely smooth. Grainy sauce is under blended sauce.
- Drain canned tomatoes so the sauce does not thin out.
- Keep the dish covered while baking to keep the chicken juicy and the sauce from breaking.
- Full fat cottage cheese makes a richer sauce, low fat keeps the macros tighter.