Caprese Chicken
Looking for an easy weeknight dinner to serve the whole family or friends? Caprese Chicken is perfect for that. Calling for just four ingredients, this chicken recipe comes together quickly and is a delicious meal.
Chicken Caprese:
Caprese Salad is one of the most classic summertime appetizers, and I wondered… what if we made it into an actual meal?
This Caprese Chicken recipe has been a long time coming because we’ve been making it in our family for months and tweaking the recipe to perfection.
The end result is a chicken dish that’s both delicious and wonderfully satisfying.
Why I love this recipe:
I love the combination of basil, tomatoes, cheese and balsamic vinegar anytime… but I especially love it during the summer months, when the basil in my garden is growing happily and my fledgling tomato plants are doing their thing.
The whole idea behind this Chicken Caprese recipe is taking the flavors of classic caprese salad and putting it on a chicken breast to turn into an entrée.
To me, one of the beautiful things about this recipe is that this combination of ingredients tastes amazing no matter how you make ‘em. Here are some ways we’ve made this recipe:
- Use jarred pesto for an quicker meal.
- Pre-shredded mozzarella (like the type you would purchase for homemade pizza) is an easy swap, too, and melts beautifully.
- Have lots of different sized fresh tomatoes? Chop ‘em down so they’re similarly sized and roast them up.
Yes, you’ve got to turn on the oven, which I know is sometimes a hassle in the summer months, but let me assure you that it’s worth the trouble for an extra delicious meal.
More easy summer dinner recipes: Grilled Pizza | Crunchy Chicken Cobb Salad | Mustard Chicken | Grilled Shrimp Salad with Homemade Lime Vinaigrette
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Rimmed sheet pan
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Instant read meat thermometer
- Tongs
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to grab from the grocery store or the farmer’s market:
- Chicken breasts — this recipe was written for our family of four, so we use two skinless
chicken breasts, but it can easily be scaled for a larger group of people. Since chicken breasts can be relatively thick, I slice them in half to make four evenly-sized portions of chicken for this recipe. If your chicken breast is thicker than 1 ½”, please butterfly them so they cook more quickly. - Basil pesto — or your favorite type of pesto. I personally love using fresh basil pesto because it’s a nod to classic caprese salad, which involves fragrant basil leaves.
- Mozzarella cheese — fresh mozzarella cheese is where it’s at! The pre-shredded kind (which you might use on pizza) works in a pinch, but the fresh cheese takes this to another level and is significantly meltier.
- Tomatoes — bite-sized tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, are my favorite here. This recipe could be made with larger sliced tomatoes, though. Just make sure that they are extra ripe.
- Balsamic glaze — you can make your own balsamic reduction on the stovetop or purchase the bottled kind from the store. This adds an awesome sweet-acidic finish to the dish.
How to make Caprese Chicken
Preheat the oven. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. You could also make this in a baking dish if you have one that’s large enough.
If they’re super thick, butterfly the chicken breasts. To do this, you will slice them in half to make four equal-sized portions. This is important to helping the chicken cook more evenly. Also, since chicken breasts are enormous these days, this is an easy way to feed more people.
Place the chicken breasts onto the lined sheet pan.
Smear a tablespoon of pesto on top of each chicken breast.
Dollop the pesto on with a spoon to all four before smearing because you do not want to place that spoon back into the container of pesto once it’s touched the raw chicken.
You won’t need to add olive oil to the pan because the pesto is made with it and that will help add flavor to the entire dish.
Add fresh mozzarella slices on top of the pesto.
Pour the tomatoes onto the sheet pan and fill in the empty spaces with them.
Try to have them in a single layer so they can roast evenly, too.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken breasts have reached an internal temperature of 165F. Use an instant-read thermometer to confirm this!
Remove the baked caprese chicken from the oven. Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze to each chicken breast.
Serve immediately with your favorite sides. We like ours with pesto pasta.
How to store:
This chicken recipe is one of my favorite to make in bulk and break down into individually-sized portions for lunch throughout the week.
Keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
If you’re looking for an easy dinner to share with friends or family, this Caprese Chicken is the perfect summertime (or anytime) protein.
Here are a few tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible:
- If you’re making fresh pesto, make it early and store it in the fridge until it’s time to assemble.
- Double or triple the recipe. This will depend on the number of guests, but you want one chicken breast per person.
- Serve it with easy-to-make or pre-made sides. My kids love this paired with pasta tossed in pesto. I love it with steamed spaghetti squash. Make your own adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
So long as it’s boneless and skinless, I think chicken thighs would work nicely, too.
Quick tips and tricks to making baked chicken caprese
- Give it time! You want to ensure that your chicken is fully cooked through before removing from the oven.
- Serve it with something to soak up the juices. The juices from the chicken and tomatoes are amazing… be sure to add them to your final plate for extra flavor!
- How to store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or the oven until warmed through.
Here’s how you can make it…
Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 6 tablespoons basil pesto
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella sliced
- 24 oz. grape tomatoes
- Balsamic glaze for drizzling
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- If the chicken breasts are thicker than 1 ½”, butterfly them. This means you will slice them in half to make thinner chicken breasts. You want all the chicken breasts to be about a similar thickness so they cook in the same amount of time.
- Place the chicken breasts onto the lined sheet pan.
- Smear a tablespoon of pesto on top of each chicken breast.
- Add fresh mozzarella slices on top of the pesto.
- Pour the tomatoes onto the rest of the sheet pan.
- Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken breasts have reached an internal temperature of 165F. The roasting time is dependent on how thick the chicken breasts are.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to brown the cheese.
- Remove from the oven.
- Drizzle the chicken with the balsamic glaze, and serve immediately with your favorite sides.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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