Description
Oven Baked Caprese Chicken brings a little bit of Italy into your home. Incredible flavors combine to give you a meal with juicy chicken, plump ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and it’s seasoned beautifully.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, around 2.2 – 2.6 lbs, depending on the size
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze* (note 1)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar* (note 2)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 lbs cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
- fresh basil for garnish/serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F and set aside a baking pan (9×13).
- Pat your chicken dry and sprinkle from both sides with salt and pepper, set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix together the remaining olive oil, balsamic drizzle, basil, salt and sugar.
- Put the tomatoes into the bowl and give it a toss, set aside.
- Now take 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat it up in a big pan over high heat.
- Sear the chicken breast for 1-2 minutes from each side to brown them up a bit.* (note 3)
- Place chicken in your baking pan.
- Add the tomatoes and spread remaining balsamic sauce over the chicken breasts.
- Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 20-30 minutes (note 4).
- When the chicken has only 10 minutes left to cook, place the mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the chicken and put back in the oven to finish cooking (note 5).
- Serve with pasta, bread, and freshly chopped basil, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Note 1: You can also use balsamic vinegar, the balsamic sauce will a bit more runny. Use balsamic vinegar if you are participating in Sugar-Free January.
Note 2: Omit if participating in Sugar-Free January.
Note 3: This step is not mandatory, but it will result in juicier chicken and a better taste because the meat was able to brown before, activating the maillard reaction.
Note 4: Cooking time depends on the size/thickness of your chicken. Use a thermometer if you can. The thickest part should be coming to 165°F to be done. The chicken broth will help keeping the chicken juicy and also make a great sauce later on. You can thicken it by adding a slurry later if you like. But just dipping fresh bread in it is amazing.
Note 5: If you want the cheese to become bubbly and slightly browned, but the chicken not to overcook, place the pan under your broiler and broil for 1- 3 minutes watching it closely.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
- Category: dinner recipes
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American