A Caprese salad is a classic Italian summer dish, and this is a little chicken twist on it. You get all the flavours of the Caprese salad, but with some added protein too. Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, some basil and finished off with a drizzle of balsamic. A really simple one pan chicken dish that the whole family will love.
Melty mozzarella cheese, fresh juicy tomatoes and finely chopped basil all layered on a chicken breast and then drizzled with balsamic vinegar just before serving. A delicious light dinner that goes well with some roasted potatoes or a salad. If you are looking for a new way to enjoy chicken, then give this a try.
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Why should you try it?
- A light and fresh meal
- A new way to enjoy chicken
- Less than 300 calories a portion
- High in protein
- All cooked in one pan
Step by step
One: On the hob (stovetop), heat some oil in a large, oven-proof pan and add the chicken breasts. Season with garlic granules, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Keep turning the chicken until it has browned on all sides.
Two: Add the cherry tomatoes and red onion to the pan.
Three: Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan. Put the pan in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas6 for 30 minutes.
Four: Remove from the oven and cover each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella.
Five: Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.
This is a super easy meal to make, so it's perfect for an after work weeknight meal. But it's also impressive enough to serve up to guests. It's easy to make a big batch of these if you are feeding a crowd. They could be really good on the BBQ too.
The sauce
We love a good sauce, and this sauce is EVERYTHING! It's not even really a sauce as it's the natural juices from the chicken with a little oil, herbs, balsamic and juices from the tomatoes. We added some cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden with some shallots and garlic to the chicken with some olive oil, oregano and dried basil. The rest took care of itself.
What else can be added?
These are really easy to adapt. We like to put a layer of pesto on the check first before adding the toppings - any pesto will work, but sun-dried tomato just gives it that extra tomato burst.
What to serve with caprese chicken
You can serve with with pasta or rice, but we will to serve it with little crispy roast potatoes like our Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes. If you want to keep this meal lighter, then serve the chicken on top of a big green salad.
Extra tips
- You could make this recipe as a stuffed chicken breast. Slice the chicken at the side horizontally when it is uncooked and then add the slices of mozzarella and tomatoes and cook them at the same time as the chicken.
- Add even more flavour to this by putting a layer of pesto on the chicken before adding the tomato and cheese.
- Find the thinnest chicken breasts you can, as they will cook quicker and more evenly. You could always use a meat tenderiser to flatten them a little.
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Recipe card
Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken breasts
- 100 g mozzarella grated
- 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic granules
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- On the hob (stovetop), heat some oil in a large, oven-proof pan and add the chicken breasts. Season with garlic granules, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Keep turning the chicken until it has browned on all sides.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan.
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan. Put the pan in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas6 for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cover each chicken breast with equal amounts of mozzarella.
- Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.
Notes
- You could make this recipe as a stuffed chicken breast. Slice the chicken at the side horizontally when it is uncooked and then add the slices of mozzarella and tomatoes and cook them at the same time as the chicken.
- Add even more flavour to this by putting a layer of pesto on the chicken before adding the tomato and cheese.
- Find the thinnest chicken breasts you can, as they will cook quicker and more evenly. You could always use a meat tenderiser to flatten them a little.
marcie
I LOVE Caprese inspired meals - this chicken looks incredible!
Kelley @ Chef Savvy
This dish looks so simple yet so flavorful!
Joanne
Normally I fill up on caprese and then have no room for the main meal, so I love that this contains both!
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
Mmmmm...some of my very favorite flavors here! Love it, Dannii!
Alison
Love the look of this. I love meals you can just leave to cook. This looks simple and tasty, a winner
Melissa | Bits of Umami
Loooove me some caprese. Looks like a perfect way to spice up some roasted chicken breasts! NOM.
Dave
I love this recipe and it's so quick and easy.
Lori @ TheHealthMinded.com
You can't ever go wrong with those ingredient combinations. A classic that always pleases!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
I love this idea, Dannii. It's perfect for the start of the summer season (when the sun finally comes back!)
It looks like we were thinking the same way today, too, as I've just posted a caprese recipe, too!! (great minds and all that!)
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries
Caprese is seriously one of the best things in the world. So fresh and yummy! Such a delicious combination of flavors. I love this recipe!
Savita @ ChefDeHome
Dannii, I'm huge fan of caprese salad with balsamic drizzle! Your addition of chicken has made it a complete meal for me! Can't wait to try it! *drooling*
Gingi
This looks SO GOOD!!!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
Dannii, I love caprese anything!!! it's like the perfect spring/summer food! I love seeing the colors from the Italian flag! :P and your crispy lemon potatoes sound awesome!!!! what a perfect meal!!! love!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
This caprese chicken looks delicious, Dannii! Love how easy it is to make and the light flavors makes it perfect for spring and summer!
David @ Spiced
Yes!! to putting up the hammock again. It's almost time to get our hammock out here in upstate New York. We love (I mean LOVE) grilling out in the summer, and I'm totally digging this fun and easy caprese chicken recipe. I can only imagine how tasty this must have been! :-)