Oven Baked Chicken Caprese

Use your summer tomatoes and basil in this delicious Baked Chicken Caprese! It’s a simple, flavorful, easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love! (gluten-free, nut-free)

Before I officially turn the blog over to all things fall, I’m sneaking in one last summer recipe! It is still officially summer for a couple of days, after all. Partly because it’s still hot here in Texas and we’ll likely still have decent tomatoes for at least another couple of weeks.

But mostly because I have two giant basil plants in my front bed that need to be used, and I’m sure some of you might, too.

Before you get all impressed by my gardening skills, You should know that basil is the only plant I can keep alive. There is this great little spot in our front flower bed where the sun is just right, the house blocks the fierce west Texas wind, and the rainwater doesn’t pour torrentially off of the roof. That’s where I plant my basil for the summer, and it grows beautifully, producing all the basil I could ever want, while all of my other plants die.

While I love a good pesto, my favorite way to use basil is with fresh mozzarella in some sort of caprese salad. Whether it’s with tomatoes, peaches, or pasta, I can never get enough caprese in the summer.

So I turned it into an easy-to-make chicken dinner!

This oven baked chicken caprese is a great meal for using up those late summer tomatoes and basil. It uses just a few simple, fresh ingredients for a delicious dinner that’s both tasty and easy to get on the table on a weeknight! Juicy chicken marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, topped with big leaves of fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and gooey mozzarella cheese that all bakes right in the oven. It’s a dinner dream, and it can be on your table in just 30 minutes!

Oven Baked Chicken Caprese

Use your summer tomatoes and basil in this delicious Baked Chicken Caprese! It’s a simple, flavorful, easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love! (gluten-free, nut-free)

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: main dish
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large ripe tomato
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella
• 10-12 large basil leaves

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts on a large plate or shallow pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper on both sides. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare remaining ingredients.
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. Thinly slice tomato and mozzarella cross-wise. Set aside.
4. Place chicken in a baking dish in a single layer, discarding the marinade. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
5. Layer basil, tomatoes and cheese on top of the chicken. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. If desired, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
7. Remove and serve immediately.

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