Chicken Sorrentina (Pollo alla Sorrentina) (2024)

Chicken Sorrentina is a super easy and comforting dish. Chicken baked Sorrento style in a rich tomato sauce with basil and creamy mozzarella cheese. Serve with veggie sides like Italian Roast Potatoes or green beans.

Chicken Sorrentina is a fun twist on Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, a classic Italian recipe from Sorrento, on the coast of Naples and one of my favourite comfort foods.

This recipe uses chicken strips dredged in flour instead of gnocchi but uses the same delicious Sorrentina style sauce with tomato, basil and mozzarella.

It's absolutely delicious and perfect served with some Italian sides such as roast potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients - what you need

See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make this recipe plus some important tips on ingredients!

• Chicken - we used chicken breasts cut into strips but you could also use chicken tenders.
• Tomatoes - make sure to use high quality chopped tomatoes like Cirio or Mutti, so important!
• Mozzarella - 2 balls of fresh mozzarella don't use pre-grated.
• Flour - this is for coating the chicken, all-purpose is fine or you could use gluten free flour if needed.
• Garlic - two cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
• Basil - fresh basil is a must!

Step by step photos and recipe instructions

Step 1 - Cut the chicken breasts into strips so they are roughly the same size. You can also buy chicken tender pre-cut (photo 1).

Step 2 - Dredge the chicken in flour making sure to shake off any excess (photo 2).

Step 3 - fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown (it won't be completely cooked) and set aside on a plate, you'll need to do this in batches (photos 3 & 4).

Step 4 - Clean the pan then saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes (photos 5-7).

Step 5 - Chop 1 ball of mozzarella into cubes and add it to the sauce with some torn basil and the chicken, turn off the heat (photos 8 & 9).

Step 6 - If your pan is oven-safe you can continue to use it, if not you'll need to transfer the chicken to an oven-safe baking dish. Top with the remaining ball of mozzarella (torn or chopped) and bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling (photos 10-12).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• High quality tomatoes are a must! - it's so important to buy a good brand that you can trust such as Mutti or Cirio. Low quality tomatoes will not give you a good tasting recipe.
• Don't use grated or dry mozzrella - you need to use fresh balls of mozzarella so it melts into the sauce.
• Don't dredge in advance - dredge the chicken just before frying, if it sits for too long it will start to absorb the flour and change the texture.
• Pan Vs Baking dish - you can cook the whole recipe in a pan or skillet if it's oven safe. If it's not you can transfer the chicken to a baking dish before topping with mozzarella and baking.

More Italian chicken recipes

• Chicken Pizzaiola with Smoked Scamorza Cheese
• Chicken Puttanesca
• Chicken Saltimbocca
• Chicken Piccata with Capers and Lemon
• Chicken Cacciatore - Pollo alla Cacciatora
• Italian Baked Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Spiedini - Grilled Chicken Skewers

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