Use your summer tomatoes and basil in this delicious oven baked chicken caprese! This simple, flavorful, balsamic chicken topped with a blanket of melty mozzarella is a weeknight dinner your 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. One of my favorite ways to use basil is caprese. So I turned it into an easy-to-make chicken dinner!

Why You'll Love Oven Baked Chicken Caprese

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. It's a dinner dream, and it can be on your table in just over 30 minutes!

How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Caprese

First, season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and turn to evenly coat. Refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic and balsamic. Grate the mozzarella.
Sear the chicken in a skillet on the stove for about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a baking dish.
Top with tomato mixture and cheese.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Broil for 1-2 minutes to get the cheese nice and bubbly and golden.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with more basil, then serve!

Tips for Making Chicken Caprese

With dishes this simple, you always want to start with high quality, fresh ingredients. That's why this dish is best in the summer when tomatoes are at their best!
For evenly-cooked chicken breasts, make sure they're pounded to even thickness.
For one less dish to clean, sear the chicken in a cast iron skillet and bake it in the same skillet.

What To Serve With Baked Caprese Chicken

This dish is super flexible. Here are some ideas:

Freshly baked bread
Roasted baby potatoes
Your favorite cooked whole grain, such as quinoa or farro
A sautéed or roasted vegetable, like zucchini or green beans
A fresh salad, like my corn, peach and tomato salad, or my peach avocado caprese
Potato salad, like my french-style potato salad

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a star rating in the comments below!

Oven Baked Chicken Caprese

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: main dish
Method: baked
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Scale

For Chicken:

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Garlic powder
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

For Topping:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
more basil, for topping

Instructions

Pound chicken breasts to even thickness. Place in a shallow dish and sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper and garlic powder. drizzle with balsamic and olive oil and turn to coat evenly. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare remaining ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, balsamic, and basil. Grate the mozzarella.
Heat oven to 375°F. Place a skillet on the stove and preheat it over medium-high heat.
Once the skillet is hot, sear chicken breasts for about 2 minutes per side.
Place seared chicken in a baking dish in a single layer. Top with tomato mixture and then mozzarella.
Bake 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. It is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Optional: place under the broiler on high for 1-2 minutes to get the cheese bubbly and golden.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with roughly torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Notes

For one less dish to clean, you can use a cast iron skillet to sear the chicken and bake it directly in the skillet too.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Keywords: Oven baked chicken caprese, baked caprese chicken