Description
This delicious Caprese Chicken brings together everything we love about a traditional caprese situation, but with the addition of grilled chicken! Store-bought basil pesto, homemade marinated tomatoes, melty mozzarella cheese, and balsamic glaze. Whip up this easy, flavorful dish for a memorable lunch or dinner that everyone will swoon over!
Ingredients
For the caprese chicken:
- 2 ½ lbs chicken breasts (about 4 pieces)
- ½ cup Italian dressing (we use Wish-Bone)
- ⅓ cup Toom garlic dip (or any garlic sauce aka toum)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper- to taste
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella– about 2 per chicken breast
- ¼ cup basil pesto, divided
- Aged balsamic vinegar glaze, for drizzling
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnishing- optional
For the marinated tomatoes (topping):
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Prep chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to an even thickness, about ½-inch thick. Then place the chicken breasts into a shallow baking dish or large resealable plastic bag, and set aside.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the Italian dressing, Toom garlic dip, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper- to taste. Use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to massage the ingredients into the chicken until everything is well combined and the chicken is fully coated. Cover the dish with plastic wrap/foil or seal the bag and then refrigerate to marinate for at least 6 hours or more preferably overnight.
- Cook chicken. You can cook up your chicken in a variety of ways (indoor grill pan or traditional grill). Before grilling: Remove the chicken from the fridge and let sit out on the counter to come to room temperature before hitting the grill.
- To grill chicken: Preheat the grill with the direct heat method to 400°F (medium-high heat) and lightly grease the grates. Shake off excess marinade and add the chicken breasts to the hot grates. Let the chicken grill with the lid closed for about 5-7 minutes per side or until the chicken registers at least 165°F when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Add the mozzarella: While the chicken is still on the grill, carefully place two slices of mozzarella over the surface of each chicken breast. Close the lid and continue cooking until the mozzarella is slightly melted, about 1-2 minutes. Then gently transfer the mozzarella-topped chicken to a serving platter.
- Add the pesto & finish caprese chicken. Spread a tablespoon of basil pesto over the melty mozzarella on top of each chicken breast. Then spoon the marinated cherry tomatoes over the chicken (some will likely fall on the platter, that’s okay) followed by a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze over the chicken breasts to finish.
- Garnish & serve. Garnish the platter with fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve the grilled caprese chicken immediately as-is or alongside your favorite sides. Enjoy!
Notes
- For oven & stovetop notes: see blog post for alternative cooking methods.
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.