Baked Caprese Chicken
Baked Caprese Chicken with Italian seasoned chicken breast, sweet oven roasted tomatoes, savory balsamic vinegar, and melted mozzarella cheese.
This 30-minute Oven-Baked Chicken with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese will have everyone begging for seconds. This is one of those dinner recipes that is a classic go-to because it is so easy and everyone loves it.
It all starts with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use the traditional thick breasts or pick up the thinly sliced chicken breasts. I tend to go for the thinly sliced chicken breasts because the chicken cooks evenly and there's more topping. It's all about the topping!
Next, to make this Caprese Chicken, you need to season the heck out of the chicken breast. Let's be real here...chicken is way bland on its own and needs a little help. It is amazing the power of spices to transform bland, boring chicken. We are rubbing on extra virgin olive oil to keep it moist and juicy and a mixture of Italian spices to make it extra flavorful.
To bring in the freshness, we are using vine-ripened tomatoes. We all know vegetables taste even better when they are roasted so we are roasting tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make them soft, slightly sweet, and savory. You can use any type of tomatoes but I usually grab the campari or grape tomatoes at the grocery store and halve or quarter them.
Bring on the mozzarella cheese! Oh cheese, how I LOVE YOU. After the chicken is baked through, sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese, and broil it for 5 minutes to get it melted and toasty. You can use grated or freshly sliced mozzarella cheese. If you use grated mozzarella cheese, it will melt easier since fresh mozzarella tends to keep its shape for a longer period of time. Both are amazing on this Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes and Mozzarella so it is up to you!
Bake at a higher heat to seal in the juices. Bake the chicken just until cooked through, which may be anywhere from 18-23 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breast. Top with mozzarella cheese and place on the top rack to broil for 5 minutes to melt cheese. There's something so amazing about a cast iron skillet, you can find my favorite for less than $15 bucks HERE.
Serve this Baked Caprese Chicken with a side of angel hair pasta or vegetables.
How to make Baked Caprese Chicken?
- Season, season, and season again chicken breast with olive oil, garlic, and Italian spices.
- Use Fresh Tomatoes, halved or quartered, with balsamic vinegar.
- Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20-22 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken breast.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place oven to broil setting and broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and toasty.
- Serve by drizzling sauce all over chicken.
Baked Caprese Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 Large Chicken Breasts (or 5-6 thinly sliced chicken breasts)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ¾ teaspoon Dried Basil
- ¾ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 ½ cups Fresh Tomatoes such as Campari or Grape, halved or quartered
- ⅓ cup Red Onion diced
- 3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese or 4 - 8 Slices Fresh Mozzarella
- Garnish optional:
- Fresh Italian Parsley or Basil diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place chicken breast in a baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle with olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place halved tomatoes and diced onion all around chicken.
- Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.
- Bake for 18-24 minutes, depending on the thickness of chicken breast.
- After chicken is cooked through, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Set oven to broil and place baking pan or skillet on the top rack. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil or Italian parsley.
- Serve by drizzling balsamic sauce and tomatoes all over chicken.
Nutrition
Pin on Pinterest:
Janet Johnson
This was so yummy! So fast and easy. The only change I made was to add some mushroom.
Mickey
This was very good, but felt it need a little more liquid. I might have not had enough tomatoes. I used what I had. Will add more balsamic vinegar and tomatoes next time. Thanks for the recipe!
Connie
Oh my goodness this was a wonderful recipe! My husband said it was the most delicious thing he has eaten in forever! I used the last of my garden tomatoes and basil. Accidentally bought chicken thighs with my chicken breast they turned out great too. Loved it! Served with fresh green beans.
Karen
Made this tonight. Delicious!!!
Will definitely make again.
Marilyn
A light, healthy and delicious recipe! My whole family loved it! Can’t wait to try it again. This will become a regular in my kitchen!
Becky
Made this dish the evening and it was a hit with the kiddos and husband. I am a big fan of the one cast-iron skillet usage. This was super quick to prep for. Will definitely add to my dinner rotation! Thank you!
Rebecca
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! My husband and I both loved it. I used halved cherry tomatoes and did it in my cast-iron skilled. I liked that I only had to dirty up one dish, and it really only was 5 min of prep time. I served it with some sauteed spinach and homemade bread. Thank you again for another great recipe!
Laurie
This was very tasty, easy and pretty. Next time I will reduce the brown sugar by half.
Philly Mama
Great recipe to make during the quarantine. So glad I had fresh basil that I put under the mozzarella. Family loved it!
Susan Rogers
FANTASTIC! SO EASY & QUICK TO MAKE! ! Other than adding the mushrooms, I made it exactly like the recipe says! I sauteed a container of mushrooms in butter and poured some over the chicken after I added the mozzarella cheese. I ALWAYS use cheese slices rather than grated in dishes like this as it gives it that great gooey look A MISTAKE I made turned out great! I poured most of the Balsamic Vinegar on the chicken before I looked back at the recipe and realized I shouldn't have! I used heirloom cherry tomatoes off the vine that I bought at Food Lion. Also, I cut the recipe in half for just me and my husband. Tried slicing one large chicken breast after it was cooked and stuffing it with the cheese and mushrooms, and also on top, but I preferred the one with the mushrooms and cheese on top only. I used the large boneless breasts individually wrapped. Thanks so much!
This recipe is a keeper and one for company and family events as well as a quick delicious meal any night! Now I need great sides! I made a pasta side with ziti, parmesan cheese, added some of the mushrooms and some sliced squash and some garlic and spices, topped with steamed broccolli! It was good, but not great like the chicken. Maybe a shot of Worchestershire sauce would have given it some kick. Wish I had made the full recipe and frozen half for another time!
Angela W Broyles
SO easy and SO delicious!
Jane
Hi - I'm making this tonight. How does it freeze?
Wendy
The flavors are awesome my problem was chicken was tough. They were breasts that I sliced in half. The chicken was done. Does this mean that it was overdone? Tasted so good but was chewy☹
Laura
Some breasts you buy at the store aren’t great. My grocery store I have by my house was making me feel like the worst cook in the world! I swear! Then I bought breasts from another store.... it was a game changer for me. Won’t buy chicken breasts from there again. ????
Shelly
Very flavorful dish! I will make this again for sure! I had the same issue as others in that the chicken was tough. I sliced each breast in half and cooked for the minimum time. I used a thermometer to ensure the internal temp was 165. Not sure what I could have done differently, but it was still scrumptious!
Sandi Dawson
I made this last night to give as a gift and just had the leftovers for my lunch. So delicious and it was so easy. Definitely can be a weeknight meal because it's also quick. I ate it with pasta to have the wonderful sauce. I will be making this again very soon.
Wendi Blosser
I've never posted a comment before on Pinterest, i just had to say how absolutely delicious and easy this was to make! I served it with roasted fresh green beans and mashed potatoes with fresh chives. My family loved it! I will definitely make this again!
Lynda
This recipe was delicious! I used sliced Roma tomatoes and a fresh basil leaf on top of each chicken breast as well.
Bernadene Whitten
I eat a keto diet for my health and this recipe works well for that. I used a brown sugar substitute which left me with only 2 carbs. The taste was amazing, I cut the large breasts in half and used one of the halves as a serving. Made a side salad to join this. Excellent! Made a large batch and sent off servings to friends for a pandemic style picnic.
Jeff
Wish this recipe was scaleable like others.I often cook for 60-70 people.I use that feature in many recipes.
Angela
Excellent recipe! I made this for a family get together and everyone raves about how delicious it tasted. I am making it again tonight for dinner. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa
Is the nutrition based on 4 or 6 servings? I'm making it now because it looks delicious!
Julie
This recipe is delicious and so easy. Everyone in my family loved it - no complainers at all.
Mar
Do you think regular cooking onions would work well? I have everything except the red onions and wanted to cook this tonight!
Modern Honey
I am a day late and a dollar short in getting back to you. I am sorry! Regular onions will work well in this recipe too. I chose red onions because they are milder in flavor so if you use yellow onions, you can add a bit less if you prefer. I hope you loved it! Thank you for trying my recipe.
Kasheka Clark
I donot have balsamic vingear
And i use regular vingaer
Pam
How'd it come out? I can't imagine using regular vinegar would be very good. Balsamic def had a very distinct and unique flavor. I'm curious about the final result though.
Jan
Can this be made a day ahead.