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
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Shirley
No you do not need to roast the tomatoes. Just place the grape tomatoes halves , chopped red onion, balsamic and brown sugar next to the chicken for the cooking time.
Wendy L Keiser
If you sear your chicken first, does it cut down on the baking time?
Christine Kelly
I just made this tonight. It was delicious and easy to make. I had most of the ingredients on hand. I thought it was a great idea to use brown sugar in this recipe because it cuts the tartness of the balsamic vinegar giving the chicken a nice flavor. I will definitely be making this again.
Betty
I want to make this but am confused about the tomatoes. Do you roast them with the balsamic before adding them to the chicken?
Debbie
This looks so good! I’m planning to make it tonight!
Thanks for sharing …
Melissa
My family says this turned out restaurant quality. I put my spin on it and it turned out great! Definitely season it up, don’t be shy! I also put fresh mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone cheese on top! Yum!
Denise Lee
Definitely a keeper, this recipe is delicious!
Melissa Stadler
So happy to hear it! One of the biggest compliments is that you want to make a recipe again. Thanks for trying it out!
Brenda
I did enjoy this dish but agree with one reviewer who felt the brown sugar was not needed. I would cut up onions but not dice as they get lost. And my mozzarella was quite tasteless so I’m trying the shredded next time, maybe pizza cheese and not just mozzarella.
Beth
This is a keeper! It is so delicious!!
Maxine
This was so good. I am on keto, so I used red wine vinegar and a low carb raspberry vinaigrette in place of the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar. Followed the recipe otherwise. Will make this again.
Debbie Lawson
Made this tonight and the family loved it! It was so flavorful, the chicken was cut with a fork. Give it a try it was soooo easy!
Carla
My favorite chicken recipe. So much flavor. I have made this several times and even my picky husband loves it.