This Caprese Chicken Skillet is made with seasoned chicken breasts cooked in a balsamic sauce with tomatoes and mozzarella. Turn your caprese salad into a full meal!
Weeknight-easy
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: The pan-searing technique for juicy chicken
Worth It: Simple method, great results without fussy steps
Bonus: Simple swaps to match what’s in your pantry
Turn your Caprese salad into a meal with chicken caprese
My favorite summer salad is the caprese salad. I love to make it with big fresh Jersey tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil from the garden, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
I took all the flavors of a Caprese salad and created a skillet meal that I could make any time. For this recipe, I swapped in some balsamic vinegar for the glaze, mini mozzarella balls for the sliced mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes for the full sliced tomatoes.
What is Caprese chicken?
The word caprese in Italian means salad of Capri. It is traditionally made with large sliced fresh tomatoes, large slices of mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves.
Some people say it doesn’t need any oil or vinegar, but I love a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It is best to make these quick and easy salad when tomatoes are in season. The ripe tomatoes slices are bursting with flavor even before you add anything else to them.
The classically caprese salad remains popular in Italy and Italian restaurants because it highlights fresh Italian ingredients and resembles the Italian flags. It is now popular in many places to add grilled chicken to the ingredients of a caprese salad to make caprese chicken.
On menus, you can find Caprese chicken salads and Caprese chicken sandwiches. I even have a recipe for a chicken caprese salad. I borrowed that idea to make this Caprese Chicken Skillet. The flavor combo of tomato, basil, and mozzarella is only improved by adding in some juicy chicken.
What kitchen tools will I need to make this simple chicken skillet?
- Large oven safe pan like a cast iron skillet
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
How to serve
There are many ways to serve this delicious chicken caprese recipe. It is a full meal on its own, but it is also delicious when serve alongside noodles or with a fresh salad.
I like to serve it over arugula with lots of fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. You could also combine the two by tossing freshly cooked pasta in arugula and olive oil, then layer chicken caprese over top.
If you enjoy this caprese skillet meal, try this chicken caprese sandwich next!
What ingredients will I need to make this chicken caprese?
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Avocado oil
- Mozzarella
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Fresh basil
Ingredient Substitutions
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts for this easy chicken caprese recipe. They may take slightly longer to cook so be sure to check for an internal temperature of 165F to ensure they are cooked through.
Use a simple italian seasoning blend in place of the individual seasonings listed here. Cherry or grape tomatoes work best, but you can also use fresh chopped whole tomaotes.
I like to use mini mozzarella balls to top this caprese chicken skillet. They melt quickly and evenly in the oven. You can also use sliced fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella. Shredded mozzarella will cook very quickly so you may want to add it after the chicken has cooked in the oven for a bit.
Looking for another simple Italian chicken dish? This bruschetta chicken is baked in a casserole dish and is perfect for a quick dinner or meal prep.
Let’s make Caprese Chicken Skillet!
Step 1: Prep chicken
To being, slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have 4 thinner pieces. Then, pound chicken with a meat tenderizer until it lays flat, but not too thin.
Next, mince the garlic cloves. Combine salt, pepper, dried oregano, and dried basil in a small mixing bowl.
Then, season all chicken pieces on both sides with seasoning mixture and preheat oven to 350F.
Step 2: Sear chicken
Next, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-safe pan. I use a cast iron skillet.
Once the oil is hot carefully place chicken in the pan. Then, cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and reduce the heat to low.
Step 3: Prepare balsamic sauce
Next, allow the pan to cool slightly so you don’t burn your garlic. Then, add minced garlic to the pan and saute for a minute moving constantly so that the garlic doesn’t burn.
Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir – the balsamic will bubble up so be careful. Then, add the tomatoes to the pan and increase the heat to medium. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Melt mozzarella cheese in oven
Next, turn the heat off the stove and add the chicken back to the pan and toss to coat in the balsamic sauce. Top the tomatoes and chicken with mozzarella – I used mini mozzarella balls.
Finally, place the chicken in the oven to bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil and enjoy!
How long will this balsamic chicken keep in the fridge?
Once prepared, allow the chicken to cool completely. Place in an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet, the oven or the microwave.
Check out these other delicious chicken skillet recipes!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Caprese Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 oz mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have 4 thinner pieces
- Pound chicken with a meat tenderizer until it lays flat, but not too thin
- Mince garlic
- Combine salt, pepper, dried oregano, and dried basil in a small mixing bowl
- Season all chicken pieces on both sides with seasoning mixture
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a large oven safe pan – I use a cast iron skillet
- Once oil is hot carefully place chicken in the pan
- Cook for 2 minutes on each side
- Remove chicken from pan and reduce the heat to low
- Allow the pan to cool slightly so you don’t burn your garlic
- Add minced garlic to the pan and saute for a minute moving constantly so that the garlic doesn’t burn
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir – the balsamic will bubble up so be careful
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and increase the heat to medium
- Saute for 2-3 minutes
- Turn the heat off the stove and add the chicken back to the pan and toss to coat in the balsamic sauce
- Top the tomatoes and chicken with mozzarella – I used mini mozzarella balls
- Place in the oven to bake at 350F for 10 minutes
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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