Easy Baked Caprese Chicken Recipe

This Easy Caprese Chicken recipe with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil leaves is an easy dinner perfect for busy weeknights. The whole family will love this quick summer meal.

If you’re looking for quick and easy chicken recipes, try this easy recipe for Chicken Caprese. You can make it on a sheet pan or in the air fryer, so clean up is super fast, too!

We love snacking on caprese crackers or caprese quesadillas in the summer. So, I turned our favorite appetizer into an easy chicken dinner!

Ingredients

You just need a few simple ingredients to make this baked chicken caprese recipe. They should be easy to find in your grocery store, farmers market or in your garden.

• Chicken — boneless skinless chicken breasts. Thinner chicken breasts work best.
• Olive oil — adds flavor and is an important element in classic caprese salad recipes
• Italian seasoning — plus salt and black pepper and garlic powder
• Mozzarella cheese — Use fresh mozzarella slices if you can
• Ripe tomatoes — fresh tomato slices, either heirloom tomatoes, hothouse tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• Basil — fresh basil leaves

What is Chicken Caprese

Caprese refers to an Italian salad (Insalata Caprese). It’s basically tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil and the colors represent the colors of the Italian flag.

If you use garden fresh tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes and add some olive oil, salt and pepper, it’s downright heavenly!

We usually eat it as an appetizer over large crackers. But, you can top chicken breasts with sliced mozzarella, tomatoes and basil and make a meal out of it!

How to Make Baked Chicken Caprese

I like to use chicken breasts that are as thin as possible and approximately the same size. They cook faster, more uniformly, and they’re not as filling.

First, you add a little olive oil to a sheet pan, and rub some oil over the chicken breasts– foil is optional. Place chicken breasts on the sheet pan.

Cooking Time

Bake the chicken for about 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown and the internal temperature is 165 degrees f, according to an instant-read thermometer. This is the most accurate way to know when chicken is done.

Take the chicken out of the oven. Then, top it with sliced mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.

Next, pop it back into the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts. You just want to melt the cheese a little and let the tomatoes heat up a bit.

Now, take the chicken out and top with a drizzle of olive oil Then, top with fresh basil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

That’s it! You have a quick and easy chicken dinner that’s light, fresh and pretty dang healthy!

How to Store and Reheat

Refrigerate leftover chicken caprese in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in your microwave or in the oven at 250 – 300 degrees f.

For best results, you may want to add fresh toppings after reheating.

Recipe Variations

I also added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The good stuff can be expensive, and it’s not absolutely necessary. Usually, we just use a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top of the chicken.

If you can’t find fresh mozzarella or it’s too pricey, use the shredded mozzarella cheese, instead! Use chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.

For more basil flavor, spread a thin layer of store-bought pesto sauce over the chicken before baking.

To make air fryer caprese chicken, cook chicken in the air fryer, and add toppings after cooking.

What to Serve with Caprese Chicken

We like to serve baked chicken caprese with air fryer roasted potatoes , Air Fryer Broccoli or grilled yellow squash and grilled zucchini.

You can serve this easy chicken breast recipe over fresh salad greens for an even lighter meal.

Make it a one-pan meal by cooking fresh asparagus or broccoli or green beans along with the chicken.

I hope you enjoy this easy dinner recipe as much as my family does. This easy chicken recipe is perfect for summer or whenever you want a light dinner.

If you do make this easy recipe, please leave a star rating and/or comment.

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Recipe published in 2020 and updated in 2023.