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This baked caprese chicken is one of those dinners that checks all the boxes. It’s easy to throw together, full of fresh flavor, and hearty. The chicken stays juicy, the mozzarella gets perfectly melty, and the tomatoes and basil make every bite so good.
Why This Chicken is a Weeknight Win
- So Much Flavor: Juicy chicken, melty mozzarella, sweet tomatoes, and fresh basil come together with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. YUM!
- Easy Weeknight Dinner: This baked caprese chicken comes together fast and bakes in one dish, which means less mess and less stress.
- Fresh But Filling: It has all the bright caprese flavors you love, but the chicken makes it hearty enough for dinner. Serve it with orzo pasta, rice, or a simple salad!
A Reader’s Review
I literally NEVER leave reviews but holy cow was this the best recipe I’ve had in awhile. I cut my chicken super thin and used the broiler at the end to get the cheese extra melty. This will be a weekly dish in my house for sure. Feels like it came straight from a restaurant!
Baked Caprese Chicken Ingredients
- Cheese: Use fresh mozzarella if you can, but sliced block mozzarella or a scant ¼ cup shredded mozzarella will work. For the best melt, shred it yourself instead of using pre-shredded.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or ripe sliced tomatoes all work! Sweeter tomatoes may need a little less honey.
How to Make Baked Caprese Chicken
You need this baked caprese chicken in your dinner arsenal for those nights when you want something easy but still really good. It uses simple ingredients, bakes in one pan, and gives you juicy chicken, melty mozzarella, and fresh tomato basil flavor. Just like in my Caprese skewers and Caprese Salad.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch or 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then lay the chicken in it.
- Make Sauce: Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Add Sauce: Pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Soak Chicken: Flip the chicken over in the sauce to coat both sides.
- Add: Add the grape tomatoes around the chicken, and lay the tomato slices on top of the breasts.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°. In the last 5 minutes, add the mozzarella on top of the chicken. If desired, broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browning. Top Baked Caprese Chicken with basil and serve.
Serving Ideas
- Sandwich: Serve it as an open-face sandwich. Slice the chicken and add it to a crusty piece of bread
- Pesto: Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze, or a couple of spoonfuls of prepared pesto on top!
Must Have Tools For This Recipe
9×13-inch Baking Dish, or a 3-Quart Baking Dish: Gives the chicken plenty of room to bake evenly without crowding.
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Baked Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 ½ pounds
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic about.1 clove
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup grape tomatoes nearly 1 full pint
- 4-8 slices of tomato 1-2 large tomatoes
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella about 8 ounces
- chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch or 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, then lay 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in it.
- Combine ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper together in a small bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, then flip the chicken over in the sauce in order to fully coat each breast.
- Add 1 cup grape tomatoes to the dish around the chicken, and lay 4-8 slices of tomato on top of the breasts.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. In the last 5 minutes, add 4 slices fresh mozzarella on top of the chicken.
- If desired, broil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and browning. Top with chopped fresh basil and serve.
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the chicken with the balsamic sauce in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating. Add fresh tomatoes and mozzarella when reheating for the best texture.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals, or bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F. Add fresh tomato slices and mozzarella on top before reheating, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Chicken Recipes You'll Love
Chicken is an absolute staple in our home so the more recipes that I have on hand that involve chicken, the better! Here are a few tried and true chicken recipes that I know that your family will love! Add them to your weekly meal planning and I know that your family and friends will keep coming back for more! Enjoy!
I’m having ur recipe for Caprese chicken tonight and I am so excited ?!!!
This was fantastic! Hubby loved it ?
My family enjoyed this recipe but I was not expecting the sauce to be so runny. I followed the recipe directions exact. the only thing I did not measure out was the cherry tomatoes. I likely added more than required by design. also, I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, do you think this make the sauce very runny?
I don’t think the ‘pour over’ ingredients are supposed to be a thick sauce – there really isn’t a thickener present in the recipe wothout an extra step. If you want it thicker, there are a few things you can do:
1) make/use a balsamic reduction. Balsamic vinegar has natural sugars in it and will thicken when you reduce it by simmering the vinegar. It will also become stronger/more concentrated and a little sweeter this way. Basically put balsamic vinegar in a pot, bring to a simmer, and wait till it reduces by 1/4 to 1/3 – or desired consistency. It will thicken as it cools.
2) Simmer all ingredients in the “pour over” together. The additional sugar from the honey will help thicken into more of a sauce as its simmered. This will take less time and you won’t have to reduce the pour over nearly as far. 5 -10 minutes should be more than enough. Again, it will thicken. As it cools.
3) if you don’t want to add an extra step, add a little cornstarch to the slurry (pour over) when you mix the ingredients. I think a 1/2 teaspoon should work. You can always add more if needed.
I hope this helps!
The recipe look delicious. My family prefers thighs. Would I need to adjust anything to sub thighs in the recipe?
They might need a few extra minutes to bake since they are thicker than chicken breasts. Just watch the time and make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit before you eat the chicken.
I prepared and cooked this recipe exactly as given, but it did not turn out very good. There was a lot of water that cooked off. I can only think that the tomatoes released a lot of juice. If I make it again I will cook the chicken first then place the tomatoes and broil, add the cheese and basil and cook for 5 minutes at 400 degrees
Can I make this with tilapia?
Try this recipe instead! Baked Tilapia and Roasted Veggies
I literally NEVER leave reviews but holy cow was this the best recipe I’ve had in awhile. I cut my chicken super thin and used the broiler at the end to get the cheese extra melty. This will be a weekly dish in my house for sure. Feels like it came straight from a restaurant!
I made this once for my family and once for company. RAVE REVIEWS!!!! Such simplicity to make a signature dish. It will be my go to recipe!
It’s SO delicious!! I’m happy to hear that you loved it too!!
I love the combination of flavors. My husband does not like vinegar so I will move his chicken on the edge in foil to separate the sauce from his chicken. You do not mention if you use thin or thicker chicken breast and the pictures do not show the thickness. Thank you.
I found this recipe while trying to find a recipe to use the beautiful tomato and fresh mozzarella I had on hand. I had also just bought an absolutely Devine fig infused balsamic vinegar made by Lucinni. The only thing I had to change was the addition of the honey because I didn’t have any on hand, but the smooth taste of the Lucinni balsamic vinegar I bought made the omission unnoticeable. My Family devoured every bite of the dish! I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone and I will very definitely be making this dish again and again, adding it as a favorite in my recipe keeper. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’ll also be trying more of your published recipes.
Oh, that makes me so happy! I have some good ones coming up so I’d love for you to keep following along! Thanks so much for your comment!
I’m always looking for new ways to cook chicken because it’s one of the few foods my toddler will eat without complaints. This recipe was a hit for everyone. The toddler devoured half a breast by himself before asking for “more cheese”.
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites and anytime I can get a kid to love it too then I call that a win! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this tonight! Very good!!
Love Your Web page and made many of your receipes! ??
Yay! I’m so glad that you love them, thanks for following along!
What a delicious dish! I made this a while ago & it was a huge hit w/my family. As always, I doubled the recipe (allowing for seconds & leftovers) since there are 7 of us. My 4 little ones loved this too – they each scarfed down 1/2 of a breast. We all love veggies here, so I served this chicken dish with steamed broccoli w/lemon, & a huge copycat Olive Garden salad. This recipe is now in my “Special Recipes” file, since it’s also definately worth serving to dinner guests. Thanks you.
Excellent! Paired it with pesto pasta. Yummy! Totally worth having to go out and buy a cast iron skillet. Will make again!
Made this tonight for my husband as he enjoys a good Caprese salad. And both he and I enjoyed this meal very much. Tasty and easy to make! Made it along with some spinach linguine. Yummy!