This GRILLED CAPRESE CHICKEN is the perfect way to showcase ripe summer tomatoes! It’s an easy and flavorful dinner that’s ready in 20 minutes!
Lately, I’ve been buying tomatoes by the bushel at the farmer’s market. They’re just so juicy and flavorful this time of the year! I have been making a lot of the classic caprese salad. But this time I also added grilled chicken to the mix for a main course that’s perfect for a barbecue or a busy weeknight.
This dish starts with grilled chicken – I simply brush it with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper before it goes onto the flames. Don’t feel like firing up the grill? You can use a grill pan indoors or simply saute the chicken and it’ll still be great. I prefer to use thin-cut chicken breasts because they cook faster and more evenly than thick chicken breasts.
The chicken is topped with ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. I use halved mini mozzarella balls for this recipe, but cubes of mozzarella would also work well. Balsamic glaze is a thicker, almost syrupy version of balsamic vinegar – you can find it in most grocery stores near the salad dressings. A little bit of the glaze adds a lot of flavor and really complements the ripe tomatoes.
I like to serve this chicken on a bed of pasta or rice to soak up all of the amazing flavors. It’s best to use the ripest tomatoes you can find for this recipe, those mealy and pale off-season tomatoes just won’t cut it here!
There’s just something special about the combination of tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella, and this chicken takes all of those flavors and turns them into a deliciously different entree. Even the kids will love this one!
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 and 1/2 cups of diced ripe tomatoes
- 4 ounces of halved bocconcini fresh mozzarella balls or cubed fresh mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil
Instructions
- Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over chicken breasts and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until done. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
- In a medium bowl combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the tomato mixture over the chicken breasts and top with sliced basil.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze then serve immediately.
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