Can’t get enough of the famous Caprese Salad? Chicken breasts, smothered with basil pesto and topped with fresh mozzarella, then baked with cherry tomatoes are my spin on it. Delicious summer meal!
If you want to pair this chicken with pasta, why not try your hand at homemade tagliatelle?
Who doesn’t love a recipe that is mostly hands off?! I can’t get enough of those, especially in the summer when I have very little interest in standing over a hot stove. I would rather cook everything in the oven!
This chicken recipe is simple when it comes to the preparation method but there is nothing plain about the taste! You will experience the joy of the summer produce with each bite!
What is Chicken Caprese?
As you probably guessed, this recipe gets its inspiration from the Caprese Salad of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil.
The salad is at the top of my list of things to eat in the summer when tomatoes are at their best. With that in mind I thought it would be a great idea to add chicken to the mix and make it a meal!
Fresh tomatoes and basil are delicious when they are enjoyed together. And mozzarella cheese is very creamy but mild, not a lot of punchy flavours here. So I felt the chicken will need a bit more help in the flavour department.
That is why I brought fresh homemade pesto to the mix. You don’t need to make your own. A store bought variety will do. I just happened to have some in my fridge and wanted to use it up. I also threw in some capers, for a briny, salty hit.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- This recipe works with boneless chicken breasts or thighs. For best texture, brown the chicken in olive oil before cooking it in the oven.
- You can use almost any type of pesto for this recipe and while the flavour will vary, the results will remain delicious.
- I used a fresh mozzarella ball but you can also use regular grated mozzarella.
- Finally, I added capers to the dish once it’s done cooking as I didn’t want them to dry out in the oven.
- Once the chicken is cooked all the way through you will see a lot of flavour packed liquid at the bottom of the pan. Just mix the capers with the pan juice and you are done.
Serving Suggestions
What is so great about this Chicken Caprese recipe is that it delivers both the chicken and the sauce without you doing a thing.
Once the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and remove to a separate plate. Cover to keep warm. Then take a potato masher to cooked cherry tomatoes and lightly crush them, add the capers with fresh basil and stir to combine.
This is your rustic pasta sauce. Dump your cooked pasta of choice into the sauce and toss. Serve with the chicken. Easy, simple and efficient!
More Italian Chicken Recipes to Try:
- Classic Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Arrabiata with Herb and Garlic Breadcrumbs
- Tuscan Chicken with Tuscan Cream Sauce
- Best Chicken Marsala
Basil Pesto Chicken Caprese
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts skinless, boneless
- salt and pepper
- 500g/ 16 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp basil pesto or store bought
- 125g/4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced or grated mozzarella
- 4-5 basil leaves
- 2 tbsp capers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil in a pan until golden but not cooked all the way through. This will take 2-3 minutes per side at medium-high heat.
- To a large baking dish (or the same pan you used the chicken if oven proof) add the cherry tomatoes, minced garlic and 2 tbsp of the olive oil, mix to coat the tomatoes, place the chicken directly on the tomatoes and spread the basil pesto on the chicken, cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 200C/400F and top the chicken with sliced mozzarella,cook for 10-12 minutes longer until the mozzarella is melted, the chicken is fully cooked and the tomatoes are blistered.
- {Optional serving suggestion} Remove the chicken from the pan, then roughly crush the tomatoes with a potato masher and stir the sliced fresh basil and capers into the tomatoes. Serve with pasta.
