Easy Caprese Chicken
This dish was inspired by atrip to Italy a few years ago. I had the most delicious dish, and I get a little teary-eyed thinking about it right now. During lunch one day, while in Rome, I was sitting at this quaint little restaurant overlooking a beautiful piazza. I was sipping Italian wine, oooogeling over the architecture and anticipating a great lunch. But honestly, the dish I was served way exceeded all of my expectations.
This dish was a whole fish fillet that was topped with beautiful bright cherry tomatoes from Sicily, lovely olive oil and a little bit of garlic. All I can say…..I was in heaven. The topping on this fish was to die for……
I was so in love with the tomato topping I immediately knew I had to re-create it in some way. I kept thinking about how it’s really hard to find tomatoes that taste good back home. Sure, we have fabulous tomatoes in August…ok for some of August, but really we don’t have great tomatoes most of the year…..ugh…..Then I remembered, all tomatoes are delicious once they are roasted! So, I got to thinking a little more and came up with a great dish that I have to share with you!
This dish starts with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or )chicken thighs. You can use the traditional thick chicken 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 is more topping in every bite….um….I know;)
To get the tomatoes as tasty as possible, I used the little cherry tomatoes and roasted them in Cervasi Olive Oil and balsamic vinegar. The tomatoes become sweet delicious bites of roasted yumminess.
Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (boneless)
- kosher salt
- pepper
- Italian seasoning or a combination of dried basil and oregano
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (Cervasi preferred)
- 1 pint fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (more if you’d like, see note)
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- Optional: 6 leaves torn basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet and add olive oil. When the pan is hot, add chicken and let sear for a few minutes. Don’t move the chicken around so it will brown nicely.
- Once one side is brown, turn the chicken over, add tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic around the chicken. It will bubble up, don’t worry:)
- Place in oven and bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. You can use a meat thermometer to check doneness (it’s done when the chicken reaches 165 degrees) or just cut into the chicken and take a look. If the juices run clear, you are good to go.
- After the chicken is cooked through, add a piece of mozzarella cheese to each chicken breast.
- Set oven to broil and place the skillet on the top rack. Broil for a few minutes, or until cheese is melted and a little bit browned.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle the tomatoes with a bit of salt and fresh basil if using.
- Drizzle the balsamic sauce and tomatoes all over the chicken and serve.
Notes:
• This dish is great served on a bed of arugula or spinach drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. It’s also delicious over a bed of pasta (Cervasi preferred) drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
• You can double the amount of sauce if you’d like more of the tomato mixture.
• Remember to store your tomatoes on the counter at room temperature for the best flavor.
• The cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts. If you want to cook the chicken quicker, butterfly the chicken or pound it thinner.
Calories
444.96Fat (grams)
21.31Sat. Fat (grams)
6.49Carbs (grams)
17.90Fiber (grams)
2.99Net carbs
14.91Sugar (grams)
12.21Protein (grams)
44.76Sodium (milligrams)
805.80Cholesterol (grams)
124.38