This Caprese Chicken is out of control flavor packed! Stuffed with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto, then topped with fresh basil and Parmesan this EASY chicken recipe will soon be in your weeknight dinner rotation!
Make sure to try my MEGA popular MIYM Chicken recipe too!
Stuffed Caprese Chicken Breasts Are An Easy Chicken Recipe!
If you’re looking for an easy, but totally delish chicken recipe that is as perfect for a weeknight dinner as it is for impressing guests, my Hasselback-style Stuffed Chicken Caprese is PERFECT! This Caprese Chicken is packed with flavors, but is simple and quick to make.
In a nutshell, this dish is simply chicken breasts sliced and stuffed with pesto, fresh tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella topped with Parmesan cheese and a little fresh basil! I love this elegant dish in summertime when the tomatoes are perfectly ripe, but honestly since you are cooking the tomatoes you can enjoy this all year long…even when tomatoes aren’t at their peak!
Easy Chicken Recipes Are Always Welcome!
We eat a lot of chicken in my household. It’s an easy protein to cook and get creative with. Whether it’s a simple chicken marinade or a chicken casserole, chicken is a versatile ingredient that my whole family enjoys. Here are a few more chicken recipes you might like:
- Crack Chicken
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- (Not So Boozy) Bourbon Chicken
- Pesto Chicken
What Is Caprese?
This recipe is a spin on the classic Italian Caprese Salad, which is sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil, seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, and maybe even some balsamic vinegar. The red, white, and green color profile of the ingredients is reminiscent of the colors of the Italian flag. The salad originated from the island of Capri, off the coast of Naples and Caprese Salad literally translates to salad of Capri!
I’ve taken that flavor profile and added in boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make it a fresh, but filling meal.
Chicken Caprese Ingredients
These great thing about this chicken recipe is that you really don’t have to be too exact or precise with any of the ingredients. You can make as few or as many “slits” in the tops of the chicken breasts to stuff as you would like, although I always try to make as many as I can because I love the flavors of the pesto, tomato, and cheese! (Find the full recipe at the bottom of the post!)
- Boneless chicken breasts. I generally use about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken. I prefer a larger-size chicken breast for this recipe, as it allows me to make more slits to stuff with the tomato, cheese, and pesto!
- Salt
- Italian seasoning
- Fresh mozzarella cheese. Buy the kind that comes in a log so you can slice it easily!
- Roma tomatoes. These are also known as plum tomatoes. But you can honestly use any tomatoes that are in season or you have on hand!
- Pesto. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade!
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
- Balsamic vinegar or glaze. I prefer using balsamic glaze if I have it because the flavor is sweet and rich, plus it really makes a pretty drizzle! BUT when I’m out a little balsamic vinegar splashed on top is great too!
How To “Hassleback” Chicken:
Let’s talk about the method I used to cut the chicken for this Caprese Chicken. There is a popular potato recipe called “Hasselback Potatoes” where a potato is sliced almost all the way through, seasoned and baked, leaving the potatoes tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. They’re delicious, trust me! But what I did was take that general method, making small slices on the top of the chicken breasts about 3/4- way through and stuffing the chicken with all the Caprese ingredients.
You could really get creative stuffing chicken this way!
How To Store:
This chicken can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can eat this chilled the next day if you like cold chicken, or simply pop it in the microwave until warm!
Caprese Chicken Breasts
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
This incredibly easy and flavor-packed Caprese Chicken is as delicious and it is gorgeous!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (approx 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 8– ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (log style)
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
- Balsamic vinegar or glaze to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and cut 6 slits in each breast (this can vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts), 3/4- of the way through, careful not to cut all the way through the chicken.
- Combine the salt and the Italian seasoning together and sprinkle evenly on top of the chicken.
- Slice the fresh mozzarella into 12 slices. Slice the 12 pieces in half, creating 24 half-moon shaped pieces.
- Repeating the same process as the cheese, slice the tomatoes into 12 slices, and then again in half, creating 24 half-moon tomato slices.
- Fill each slice in the chicken breasts with a small spoonful (about a teaspoon) of pesto, a slice of the cheese, and a slice of tomato.
- Place the chicken into the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Garnish with sliced basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 269
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 1083.6 mg
- Fat: 14.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 g
- Protein: 24.9 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
Keywords: cookies and cups, chicken recipe, chicken breasts, chicken caprese
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My fiancé and I made this the other night and it is DELICIOUS!!!!!!! We used 2 whole chicken breasts as it was just the two of us and it is definitely company worthy!!! You won’t be disappointed if you make this!
I wanted to add a photo but couldn’t find it!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!! Would love to see the picture!
I wanted to do before and after but could only use 1 picture. MANY thanks again for the BEST chicken recipe, ever!!!
★★★★★
It looks perfect!!!!