Chicken Caprese

Our easy Chicken Caprese recipe has juicy chicken breasts baked in a simple balsamic reduction with melted mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil.

This chicken caprese is healthy, flavorful, and made all in one pan. Courtesy of Lauren Allen

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

One Pan Chicken Caprese Worthy of Your Busiest Night

This Chicken Caprese recipe is proof you can have a beautifully impressive looking dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes. I love that it pulls from the fresh flavors of a traditional caprese salad to create a flavorful chicken dish that will steal the show on any table. The key is to use fresh tomatoes from a local famers market, or grown from your garden if you’re that lucky!

How to Make Chicken Caprese

Sear Chicken and Make Sauce: Season chicken on both sides with oil, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper then sear in a hot pan with oil, until golden brown on each side. In a bowl, combine diced red onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. Pour mixture into the pan and simmer.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Bake: Return chicken to the pan and spoon sauce on top. Place pan in oven and bake until chicken is cooked through. Top each chicken breast with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil until the cheese has melted completely.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Serve: Add a fresh sliced tomato and basil on top. I love to serve chicken caprese with a green salad and fresh artisan bread.

Courtesy of Lauren Allen

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I enjoy the cold chicken chopped over salad greens, for lunch.

To Freeze: You may freeze the chicken before adding the cheese and tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then rewarm and add caprese toppings.

Recipe Variations

• Grilled Chicken Caprese: Season the raw chicken as directed, but grill on a well greased grill, until cooked through. Add mozzarella cheese and close grill lid until cheese has melted. Add tomato and basil and serve.
• Chicken Caprese Pasta: Double the balsamic sauce then serve the chicken caprese over hot cooked pasta, drizzling the pasta in the extra sauce.
• Chicken Caprese Sandwich: Cook chicken in oven as directed. Serve each cooked breast inside your favorite kind of toasted bread or crusty roll, with a slice of mozzarella, tomato, and handful of arugula. Garnish with salt and pepper and a small drizzle of balsamic sauce.

Chicken Caprese

This easy Chicken Caprese recipe has juicy chicken breasts baked in a simple balsamic reduction with melted mozzarella, a slice of a fresh tomato, and chopped basil. It’s healthy, flavorful, and made all in one pan!

Servings 4

Calories 360

Prep 5 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Total 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup red onion , diced
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Roma tomatoes , sliced
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese , sliced
• fresh basil leaves , chiffonade cut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season chicken on both sides with 1 Tablespoon oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Brown chicken: Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add remaining oil, then chicken, and sear chicken quickly, flipping once, just until golden on both sides. Remove to plate.

Glaze: Mix together the diced red onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Pour the mixture into the skillet and simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes.

Bake: Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over it. Place pan in oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees), about 10-20 minutes depending on how thick the breasts are. Remove from oven.

Turn oven to broil.

Top each chicken with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil just until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately, topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh-cut basil and spoon the pan sauce over the top.

Make it a meal and serve chicken caprese with a green salad and fresh artisan bread.

Notes

Chicken: If your chicken breasts are overly thick, you can butterfly them by cutting them in half, horizontally, to make two thinner chicken breast halves that will cook faster.

Storing Instructions: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I enjoy the cold chicken chopped over salad greens for lunch!

Freezing Instructions: You may freeze the chicken before adding the cheese and tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then re-warm and add caprese toppings.

Grilled Chicken Caprese: Season the raw chicken as directed, but grill on a well greased grill, until cooked through. Add mozzarella cheese and close grill lid until cheese has melted. Add tomato and basil and serve.

Chicken Caprese Pasta: Double the balsamic sauce and serve the chicken caprese over hot cooked pasta, drizzling the pasta in the extra sauce.

Chicken Caprese Sandwich: Cook chicken in oven as directed. Serve each cooked breast inside your favorite kind of toasted bread or crusty roll, with a slice of mozzarella, tomato, and handful of arugula. Garnish with salt, pepper, and a small drizzle of balsamic sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 149mg, Potassium: 502mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 540IU, Vitamin C: 10.6mg, Calcium: 237mg, Iron: 0.9mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.

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