Baked Caprese Chicken Recipe
This Baked Caprese Chicken Recipe elevates grocery store ingredients at any time of the year. One skillet brings together succulent chicken breasts, sweet burst tomato sauce and gooey mozzarella cheese.
This Baked Chicken Caprese is bursting with flavor!
If the word “caprese” makes your mouth water, this is the perfect chicken recipe for you.
While caprese salad is best at the height of summer when tomatoes are at their peak, this Baked Chicken Caprese uses grocery store grape tomatoes any time of the year.
This skillet baked recipe uses simple ingredients to make succulent chicken breasts topped with a sweet burst tomato sauce and gooey cheese.
Why you will love this Chicken Caprese Recipe
- The chicken and sauce come together in one skillet.
- Great any time of year. Even when tomatoes aren’t at their peak, this recipe will bring out their sweetness.
- Looks fancy, but uses ingredients that are easy to find in any grocery store.
What is Chicken Caprese?
Caprese salad is an Italian salad made with sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. It is named after the island of Capri, where it is believed to have originated.
Chicken Caprese warms this salad up and puts it on top of baked chicken breasts.
Chicken Caprese Bake Ingredients
- chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are elevated to something exciting in this baked caprese chicken recipe.
- salt and pepper – seasoning chicken breast is an absolute must for it to taste as good as it can.
- olive oil – for searing the chicken in the skillet.
- onion – white onion adds a subtle sweetness to the tomato sauce. Yellow onion works, too!
- grape tomatoes – these will burst with juicy sweetness once they are baked.
- garlic – adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- dried oregano – a classic Italian herb that helps season the dish.
- chicken broth – creates a luscious sauce that ties the dish together.
- butter – adds richness to the sauce.
- fresh mozzarella cheese – essential to any caprese recipe!
- fresh basil – adds a fragrant, fresh flourish.
- balsamic glaze – this is an optional finishing touch. You can make your own with my recipe for balsamic glaze, or buy a prepared bottle of glaze at the grocery store.
How to make Baked Chicken Caprese
1. POUND. Pat the chicken breasts dry and use a meat mallet to pound them to an even thickness.
2. SEAR. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear it in a skillet with a bit of oil. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. SAUCE. Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are golden brown, then add the tomatoes, garlic and oregano. Add the broth and cook until almost all of the broth is evaporated.
4. ADD CHICKEN BACK. Stir a bit of butter into the sauce, then transfer the chicken back to the skillet and nestle it into the tomato mixture.
5. BAKE. Divide the cheese over the chicken, then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.
6. FINSH. Spoon some of the tomato mixture over the chicken. Garnish with basil and balsamic glaze.
Home Chef Tips for Chicken Caprese
- Put the chicken breasts in a gallon freezer bag before pounding them out to keep your counter and meat mallet clean.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and no higher for perfectly moist chicken.
- If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, you can transfer everything to a baking dish before placing it in the oven.
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How to Serve Baked Caprese Chicken
My favorite way to serve baked caprese chicken is with pasta tossed with basil pesto. I simply cook the pasta and toss it with store-bought basil pesto and a little bit of the pasta cooking water.
Here I’ve used spaghetti, but any type of pasta you have on hand would be great.
Caprese chicken bake is also really lovely when paired with our recipe for garlic bread and a simple green salad tossed with citrus vinaigrette.
How to store Caprese Chicken Breasts
Any leftovers of this caprese chicken skillet can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to warm the chicken and re-melt the cheese.
Chicken Caprese Bake FAQS
Making sure you don’t overcook chicken breasts is the best way to keep them moist. Use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken and remove it from the oven as soon as it reaches 165 degrees F.
In this chicken caprese recipe, you don’t need to cover the chicken while baking. Leaving it uncovered allows the cheese to get golden brown and bubbly.
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Caprese Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large white onion finely chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
- 2 tablespoons roughly torn fresh basil leaves
- Balsamic Glaze for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pat chicken breasts dry and use a meat mallet to gently pound them to an even thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add oil; transfer chicken to skillet and cook 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to plate.
- Add onion to skillet and cook 4 to 6 minutes or golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomatoes, garlic and oregano to skillet and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until almost all broth is evaporated.
- Stir in butter, then transfer chicken back to skillet and nestle it into tomato mixture. Divide cheese over chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Spoon some of the tomato mixture over the chicken. Garnish with basil and balsamic glaze, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Put the chicken breasts in a gallon freezer bag before pounding them out to keep your counter and meat mallet clean.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and no higher for perfectly moist chicken.
- If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, you can transfer everything to a baking dish before placing it in the oven.
This dish is simply breathtaking. I have been thinking about getting a spirilizer (i do not even know how to spell it) and this dish alone could be a reason to purchase one.
And those photos.. Gorgeous, Lori. So SO beautifully photographed.
Hope you are doing well.
Cheers!
Ice
You are too kind, Ice. I have been silently stalking your photography lately, and you are just so SO talented. Thanks for stopping by!