This easy Chicken Caprese recipe is bound to become one of your family’s favorite dinner idea! Chicken breasts are topped with garlic cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinegar. Ready in 30-minutes!
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Juicy Homemade Chicken Caprese
If you’ve run out of ideas on how to spice up this week’s chicken dinner, don’t sweat it for another minute. I am in major big-time-whoa love with this Chicken Caprese, and I guarantee you will be too. Just wait until you taste it!! Sautéed chicken breasts topped with melted mozzarella cheese and garlicky tomatoes? Um, yes please!
In addition to being incredibly tasty, this recipe is also a breeze to put together, and easily divided in two for a smaller serving. Plus, as long as you watch your cheese and olive oil, it’s pretty healthy!
What is Chicken Caprese?
Chicken Caprese is a dinnertime twist on the slightly simpler caprese salad. A typical Italian caprese salad is made up of thick slices of ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, strips of basil, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. To make the salad a little more filling, you can add in chicken breast, and it becomes a hearty, colorful meal!
What You’ll Need
Chicken Caprese can be made any time of year, but it’s an especially wonderful summertime meal if you have a garden growing with tomatoes and basil!
Wondering what else you’ll need? Gather up the following 9 ingredients:
- Chicken: I like to use 4 skinless chicken breasts, but you could do skinless and boneless if you want – just adjust the cooking time.
- Seasoning: Add a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the chicken and garlic.
- Garlic: 3 large cloves, minced.
- Tomatoes: I generally use 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved.
- Basil: I recommend using 10 large basil leaves, finely chopped. If you don’t have fresh basil you could season the chicken with dried basil.
- Cheese: 8 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella is my go-to, sliced in 1/2 inch thick slices.
- Garnish: Balsamic vinegar, to taste.
How to Make Chicken Caprese
This easy chicken dinner is cooked and plated in 5 steps. First, you’ll season and sauté the chicken, then you’ll add in the tomatoes and mozzarella. The end result is a fragrant pan of chicken just waiting to be devoured!
Season the Chicken: Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and set aside.
Cook the Chicken: In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken, cover pan, and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip chicken breasts and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (or has reached an internal temp of 165°F).
Sauté the Garlic: Remove chicken and place on a plate and cover with foil. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté pan. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant, scraping up all the little bits of chicken left in the pan.
Sauté the Tomatoes: Add tomatoes and continue sautéing until tomatoes skin starts to soften/wrinkle, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and quickly place chicken back in pan. Top each chicken breast with 2 slices of mozzarella.
Briefly Melt the Cheese: Cover pan with lid and let the mozzarella melt, about 1-2 minutes. Drizzle with a splash of balsamic vinegar and serve immediately!
Tips for Success
Who knew such a pretty dish could be so easy to put together? Here are some extra tips to ensure that things go smoothly for you:
- Don’t Undercook the Chicken: Rubbery, underdone chicken is definitely not the goal here. I recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees before you remove it from the pan.
- Cheese Substitution: If you don’t have mozzarella, use another melty cheese like provolone.
- Tomato Tip: If cherry tomatoes are not in season or you don’t like the options at your local store, try making this dish with sun dried tomatoes instead – the flavors will still be amazing!
Serving Suggestions
Let’s talk side dishes! There are a number of sides that you can serve with this chicken:
- Noodles: I like to make a quick serving of buttery pasta (with a squeeze of lemon) to go alongside this chicken.
- Garlic Bread: For if we are feeling extra carby!
- Salad and Vegetables: Mashed cauliflower or a side arugula salad are the healthier options that we usually serve with this meal.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
To store Chicken Caprese, refrigerate it in an airtight container for 2-3 days. When you want to reheat it, pour a little olive oil into a pan on medium heat, and add some extra cheese on top of the chicken. Cook until the chicken and tomatoes reach the desired temperature.
Chicken Caprese
Ingredients
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 10 large basil leaves, finely chopped
- 8 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced in 1/2 inch thick slices
- balsamic vinegar, to taste
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Instructions
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken, cover pan, and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip chicken breasts and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked thoroughly (or has reached an internal temp of 165°F).
- Remove chicken and place on a plate and cover with foil. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté pan. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant, scraping up all the little bits of chicken left in the pan.
- Add tomatoes and continue sautéing until tomatoes skin starts to soften/wrinkle, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and quickly place chicken back in pan. Top each chicken breast with 2 slices of mozzarella.
- Cover pan with lid and let the mozzarella melt, about 1-2 minutes. Drizzle with a splash of balsamic vinegar and serve immediately!
Nutrition
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More easy chicken dinner ideas
If you’re a fan of easy chicken recipes, take a look at these!
- Chicken Fried Chicken
- The Best Baked Chicken Recipe
- Crockpot Whole Chicken
- Easy BBQ Oven Pulled Chicken
- Crispy Brown Sugar Air Fryer Chicken Legs
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I was thinking of making this on Christmas Eve as one of my many dishes I am serving. 35 adults. Can any of this be made ahead, like the day before?
Hi Susan, I’d recommend finding another dish if you need to make it ahead. This chicken capers really is best served fresh.
Darn, it must be me, my chicken was dry, the flavor was delicious though. The tomatoes, OMG,they were so tasty with the basil. I must be the only one disappointed with the dry chicken. I read all the comments, no one mentioned dry chicken.
Hi Bridget! I highly recommend using an instant read meat thermometer so you know exactly when your chicken reaches 165°F! This will guarantee no dry chicken!
This is delicious, I served over zoodles, perfect for my low carb diet!
So- this was delicious!!
I live in a house w all teens, the youngest being an 11 year old girl. I went to make this meal and there was no mozzarella. It was gone. Yes, my 11 yo daughter ate the entire block of good mozzarella today. So…. plan B. I put spoonfuls of ricotta instead. It was delicious, and a lower fat alternative. (Still wish she didn’t eat the cheese!!!)
Delicious, easy recipe. Had lots of flavor and so much easier to make in one pan than having to use the oven!
Love this recipe in the summer when our garden is overflowing with cherry tomatoes & basil! Figure friendly too!!! I serve it over pasta or a small side of mashed potatoes in the cooler months! Always a winner!
I made this for dinner tonight and we absolutely loved it! It took longer than 30 minutes for me to make it because it was my first time but I think I will get faster as I make it again and again. I served it with gnocchi and Trader Joe’s bruschetta sauce (refrigerated section). It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Glad you enjoyed it Paula!! I will have to watch for that next time I am at Trader Joes!
Wow! Fantastic recipe and I have now been making it weekly
What wine best pairs with this chicken dish?
Whatever wine you like. 😉 However, I would suggest a crisp white whine.
I’ve made this before and it was delish!!! I have a bowl full of plum tomatoes….can I use them instead? How would you suggest cooking them? I had imagined them sliced on top of the chicken but not sure how they would turn out? Or is it better to chop in chunks?
I’d probably cut them into chunks so they cook easier! But either way I’m sure will be delicious!
Wow! Fantastic recipe and I have now been making it weekly.
Made this last week and it turned out amazing. Going into our weekly rotation for sure!
Hi, absolutely love caprese anything! I have a few questions:
1. can you use sun dried tomatoes in this recipe?
2. also, if you don’t have fresh basil, would the kind that comes in a container but has a grinder work?
3. If I have the minced garlic in a jar, how much would I use instead of fresh garlic cloves, and my people dont like things extremely garlicky.
Thanks,
This was amazing. I forgot the basil but it was still a hit. I added some fresh green beans and it was perfect. Definitely will make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it Stephanie!
I always get really nervous making something I’ve never made before, but this was just amazing!!! The amounts of ingredients where right and thr cooking times were pretty close. Something I will definitely be making again!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with Pinterest!
I made this for my family last night; talk about rave reviews!!! I cook for a minimum of 6 every night and, as you can imagine, it’s almost impossible to please every palate every meal; but this was a hit with everyone! My oldest is even requesting to have it for her birthday dinner next month:) I absolutely love the simplicity of this recipe❤ I served it with steamed broccoli and couscous, and felt very proud of how appealing and “professional” the finished plates looked. Thank you so much for sharing! I will be making this recipe again and again:)
I just made this for supper and it was a hit !!! I loved the balsamic vinegar drizzle,,It’s a keeper for sure !!! Thanks for the idea,,
So glad you enjoyed it Sonja! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment how it turned out!
I’m eating this now and it’s even better than I imagined!! So good. I will be making it again.
So glad y’all liked it Stephanie! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment how it turned out!
Family loved it! Easy but delicious!
I love the ingredients and can’t wait till tonight to try it. I love your recipes.
I dont use balsamic N wldn wanna purchase it for one recipe. When we make salad I use olive oil and red wine vinegar. I like the tang. Cld I just omit the balsamic or sub something else for it?
You can omit it, but it definitely brings something to the dish and I would miss it!
This was an awesome week night recipe for a girl on a budget! I used roma tomatoesbecause they were on sale and this recipe was ON POINT! Thank you so much for sharing.