Easy Hasselback Chicken Primavera made with chicken stuffed with vegetables and mozzarella. A high-protein sheet pan dinner perfect for busy weeknights.
Sheet Pan Chicken Primavera
I’m so excited for spring, and this Hasselback Chicken Primavera is exactly the kind of fresh, easy dinner I crave this time of year. I love how this chicken turned out—the chicken is sliced Hasselback-style and stuffed with zucchini, tomato, red onion, and melty mozzarella for a twist on classic pasta primavera flavors. Everything bakes together on one pan, making this a simple weeknight meal that feels a little special without any extra effort. For more recipes like this, check out my chicken breast recipes collection.
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional primavera, which means “spring” in Italian, is a pasta dish with seasonal vegetables and Italian ingredients. Instead of pasta, I turned those classic flavors into a high-protein stuffed chicken breast dinner and loved it!
- Easy: Hasselbacking chicken is easier than stuffing and comes out great.
- High Protein: 44 g protein per serving
- Seasonal produce is always more flavorful and affordable.
- Simple cleanup: Line the baking sheet with parchment so you can toss it when you’re done.
What is Hasselback Chicken?
Hasselback chicken is a technique in which you make multiple thin, evenly spaced cuts in chicken breasts without cutting all the way through to the bottom. Then, you stuff the chicken with vegetables, cheese, or other ingredients and bake it in the oven.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy sheet pan chicken primavera recipe. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts aren’t always my favorite because they can be less flavorful and drier than thighs. However, stuffing them with seasoned vegetables boosts flavor and helps keep the chicken tender as it bakes.
- Olive Oil for the chicken and vegetables helps keep them moist.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Vegetables: Sliced zucchini, tomato, and red onion.
- Cheese: Freshly grated mozzarella and parmesan.
- Fresh Basil for a pretty, flavorful garnish.
How to Make Hassleback Chicken Primavera
Season the chicken and vegetables, stuff the chicken, then pop the tray in the oven. It bakes in just 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you still want something healthy and fresh on the table. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- How to cut Hasselbeck chicken: Use a sharp knife to make about 5 slices across each breast, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Season the chicken breasts: Coat them with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Season the vegetables with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Stuff the chicken with the veggies and top with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake chicken primavera at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes. If you want to brown the cheese, broil the chicken for the last minute. Then remove it from the oven and garnish with basil.
Variations
- Vegetable swaps: Use yellow squash instead of zucchini, cherry or grape tomatoes instead of a vine tomato, or shallots instead of red onions.
- More veggie options: If you don’t like one of the vegetables listed above, you could also make this primavera with asparagus, peas, canned artichoke hearts, or bell peppers.
- Herbs: Substitute basil with parsley or rosemary. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, use a mix of any dried herbs you have, such as oregano, parsley, or basil.
- Cheese: Replace Parmesan with Pecorino Romano, or omit both cheeses to keep the dish dairy-free.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this one-pan chicken primavera with pasta, rice, or bread, or keep it low-carb by adding a vegetable side dish.
Storage
- Refrigerate chicken for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw in the fridge the day before, then warm in the microwave or the oven at 350°F.
More Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
For more one-pan dinner ideas, check out these five delicious sheet pan dinner recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Sheet Pan Italian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs and Veggies
- Sheet Pan Chicken Scarpariello
- Spatchcock Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Chicken Drumsticks with Zucchini and Corn
- Chicken Shawarma Sheet Pan Dinner
Hasselback Chicken Primavera
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons
- 1 vine tomato, sliced and cut into half moons
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
- Chopped basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts Hasselback-style by making evenly spaced crosswise slits along each breast. Take care not to cut all the way through, leaving about ¼ inch intact at the bottom so the chicken remains whole. Coat the chicken with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Gently transfer to the prepared baking sheet and set aside.
- Add the zucchini, tomato, and onion to a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the Italian seasoning. Gently toss to coat the vegetables evenly with the seasoning.
- Slightly fan the chicken breasts open and nestle the vegetables into each cut, spacing everything evenly along the length of the chicken.
- Top each chicken breast with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven to roast until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes. Feel free to broil for the last minute to get the cheese a little browned.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with basil before serving.
what should I sub for the zucchini? I like but not the rest of the family.
Love making this recipe!! Easy prep and looks awesome when plated! So delicious with the veggies! I’ll be making this a lot more this summer.
Made tonight, husband and I both loved it. Looking forward to seconds for lunch. Thank you for another home run!
Glad you both enjoyed it!
This recipe was so tasty and super quick and easy!! I paired it with brown rice. My husband said it was a tasty, fancy meal since it looked so nice.
This was delicious and was robust with flavor. I am definitely adding this to the dinner rotation.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made the Hasselback Chicken Primavera, and followed the instructions exactly. The chicken came out awesome!! Great recipe!! A great option to make for guests. Thank you!
In the minority here… while the chicken was juicy, it lacked taste. I recommend more spices.
Super easy and DELISH!!!!
Amazing
I am planning on making this as it looks delicious! Is there a sauce or need for one?
Super delicious and easy. First time making a Hasselback chicken – found it much easier than stuffed or rolled. Thanks for a great – and healthy – recipe Gina.
REALLYYYYYYY good! Tender, juicy, flavorful, colorful and really looks impressive, though it was quick and easy. Love!
Thanks Sue!
I made this last night for company and everyone raved about it! It was delicious, and easy to prep ahead of time and then pop in the oven just before dinner.
Excellent recipe. One breast was huge and needed more cooking time. Roasted the leftover veggies. Warmed up leftover chicken and I think it almost tasted better. Have shared this recipe with my family
Very good and easy to prepare. My chicken was thin so some of the vegetables were hassleback and the rest were put on top, but worked out fine! Served with your thyme smashed sweet potatoes. A great dinner- Thanks Gina!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this recipe last night. Just a regular Wednesday. Family was wowed by the finished product. Looks fancy and complicated but very simple. A lot of bang for the buck. I probably used more cheese than suggested because I cant help myself and left out the red onion. I did mix onion powder in the spice blend. I was afraid the chicken might be dry but the opposite. I think the vegetables added moisture. Had extra zucchini and just threw it in the pan along with the chicken. Served with polenta and arugula. Real stunner that comes together quick.
Thanks Len!
This was a delicious, easy departure from our frequent, ordinary chicken dinners. Never ‘Hasselbacked’ a chicken before but I can’t wait to do it again! I cut up too many veggies, but it worked great to just throw the extra on the pan. Next time I’ll add some mushrooms, maybe spinach or asparagus. The possibilities are endless. And of course, added more cheese once it was done. 😄 Made air fryer roasted potatoes and this meal was a hit!
Edited to add: I can’t stop making this!! Took it to eat while watching a baseball game and at the end of the game the lady sitting next to me came up to me and said, ‘Did you make that?! It smells sooooo good!’
♥
The recipe ingredient list
states 1 top italian seasoning divided. However when reading directions I do not see where I use it 2 separate times. What am I missing?
1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning sprinkled on each breast.
Actually I was wrong, half on the tomato,onion, zucchini mix and half sprinkled in the breasts