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    Chicken Caprese

    September 13, 2024

    Our Caprese chicken checks all the boxes: tender marinated chicken, juicy Roma tomatoes, herby homemade pesto, and melty mozzarella. You’re in charge of the bottomless breadsticks!

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    chicken caprese on a serving platter topped with pesto, melted mozzarella, roma tomatoes and drizzled with honey
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Things About Chicken Caprese For Dinner That Just Make Sense

    Light the drippy wine bottle candles, because tonight’s the night for the best chicken caprese recipe. You’ll want to crank up the oven for Garlic Bread. And a salad is definitely called for, so choose your salad dressing fighter wisely from our Best Homemade Salad Dressing roundup. Call in the big dogs and make an Easy Tiramisu. Your family’s going to be happier than the last trip to Olive Garden.

    chicken caprese on a serving platter topped with pesto, melted mozzarella, roma tomatoes and drizzled with honey

    What is Chicken Caprese?

    Chicken Caprese is a simple riff on Caprese Salad, and is as bright and colorful as the tricolor Italian flag of green (basil pesto), white (mozzarella), and red (those juicy Roma tomatoes). It’s healthy and satisfying, and making this easy chicken Caprese just solved your weeknight dinner plans. For another simple one pot chicken dinner with chicken, check out our One Pot Pesto Chicken and Rice.

    chicken breast, pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and honey in prep bowls

    Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Classic Caprese Chicken

    • Chicken cutlets – We call for chicken cutlets because they cook extra fast, and are the ideal thickness for a satisfying bite once piled with pesto, tomato, and mozz. Slice some extra cutlets to freeze, and try our Chicken Parmesan next time.

    • Roma tomatoes – Firm and meaty, flavorful roma tomatoes are perfect to layer on these marinated chicken cutlets with melted mozzarella and pesto.

    • Basil pesto – We use our Homemade Basil Pesto for everything (file under things that make us happy). Check out our Pesto Green Beans and Heirloom BLT with Pesto for more ways to use our favorite green stuff. Or add a scoop to your Soft-Scrambled Eggs!

    • Fresh mozzarella – It’s one of our favorite milk products, and it’s as good fresh in our Peach and Tomato Salad and Caprese Sandwich as it is fried in good old Mozzarella Sticks.

    olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a large mixing bowl
    raw chicken cutlets tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a large mixing bowl
    sliced tomatoes tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a large mixing bowl
    marinated chicken being cooked in olive oil in a skillet, topped with pesto

    How To Make Chicken Caprese

    • Make a marinade. Most of the flavor of chicken caprese comes from the marinade. You’ll need a good-sized mixing bowl to hold everything while it marinates in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

    • Brown the chicken. Heat a large skillet and cook the cutlets on both sides until golden brown.

    • Layer and cook. Top the chicken with pesto and mozzarella slices, and then cover so everything gets nice and melted.

    • Add the tomatoes. Top the cheesy chicken cutlets with the marinated tomatoes and drizzle with honey. Yum.

    pan cooked marinated chicken topped with pesto and fresh mozzarella slices cooking in a skillet
    marinated chicken topped with pesto and fresh mozzarella slices cooking in a skillet

    How to Store Chicken Caprese And Some Favorite Variations

    • Chicken Caprese leftovers will be good in the refrigerator for up to four days. This isn’t a great dish to freeze, so keep reading below for more ideas.

    • You’ll be hoping there’s leftovers to make a chicken Caprese sandwich or sliced up into a quick bowl of pasta.

    • If you’re digging these flavors, check out our Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe.

    • No chicken? Make our Grilled Pork Chop Caprese instead!!

    chicken caprese on a serving platter topped with pesto, melted mozzarella, roma tomatoes and drizzled with honey
    chicken caprese on a serving platter topped with pesto, melted mozzarella, roma tomatoes and drizzled with honey

    You May Also Like

    Chicken Caprese brings together many of our favorite ingredients, and we’ve rounded up a few other recipes that feature some of the usual suspects:

    For more recipe inspiration you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. Have you tried this recipe? We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

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    Chicken Caprese

    Updated on September 13, 2024

    • Serves:  4
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  20 min
    • Calories:  490
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    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 4 chicken cutlets (about 1½ pounds)
    • 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced or cut into bite size pieces
    • ¼ cup pesto, plus more for serving
    • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 pieces
    • 2 tablespoons honey, warmed

    Method

    1. In a large bowl, mix together ¼ cup of the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Transfer ¼ cup of the marinade to a medium bowl. Add the chicken to the large bowl with marinade and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes to the medium bowl and toss to coat with marinade. Marinate the chicken and the tomatoes refrigerated for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

    2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side.

    3. Reduce the heat to low, then spread the tops of the chicken with pesto. Top each cutlet with 2 slices of the mozzarella, then cover and cook until the mozzarella melts and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

    4. Divide the chicken between 4 plates, top with the marinated tomatoes and drizzle with the honey. Serve with any remaining pesto on the side if desired.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 490
    • Protein 37 g
    • Carbohydrates 15 g
    • Total Fat 32 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 105 mg
    • sodium 880 mg
    • Total Sugars 12 g

    Chicken Caprese

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Anne

      Can I skip the pesto? If not, my kids are allergic to pine nuts. Is there something else I can use instead?

      Feel free to skip the pesto! Hope you enjoy!

    • lyn

      This was DEE Lish!! We will add this into our rotation of meals! It's quick and easy and it will make a great dinner to take to friend in need!

      Thanks Lyn, so happy to hear it's making rotation!

    • Sarah

      Another hit from the Modern Proper! We all loved it - and the honey drizzled at the end (I only used 1 T) was a nice finish. A few comments -- it was tricky to know if chicken was browned because it took on a dark color from the balsamic marinade, but using the recipe's guide of 3-4 minutes per side worked fine. Then when I put the cover on, I wasn't sure how long it would take to cook, but I tested the temp after 10 minutes and it was perfect. All around a wonderful, easy, weeknight recipe (and gluten free is a plus). Served it with roasted small potatoes and Brussel Sprouts. Thank you, cooks at The Modern Proper!!

      Thank you Sarah! We are so glad you loved it! Sounds like a delicious meal with the potatoes and brussels along side!

    • Kay

      This was surprisingly easy for such a wow factor of a meal! My husband and I loved it! The drizzle of honey was such a nice touch and added a delicious sweetness. Can't wait to make this for company!

      Thanks Kay, we are so glad you both loved it!