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!
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
Chicken Caprese is made with garlicky cherry tomatoes, gooey mozzarella, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar. This easy 30 minute dinner will wow your tastebuds and satisfy your cheesy cravings!
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
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 Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 527mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 51g
Categories
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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