Sautéed boneless, skinless breasts with a crispy crust and juicy middle. Cherry tomatoes cooked down to an ooey gooey, finger lickin’ (clean hands only), thick and flavorful sauce. Melty, bubbly mozzarella slices oozing over the chicken… y,all this might be our favorite quarantine meals to date!
Caprese salad is just a CLASSIC springy/summery dish and in my opinion can’t be beat when paired with a patio and a chilled pinot 🙂 Not to mention I’m dreaming of Italy so hard rn from my dining room table/desk haha. Oh well.
So back to this chicken. You’ll crisp up the salt and pepper breasts in your sauté pan for a few minutes each side. Then the whole cherry tomatoes, onions and garlic start to cook and the juicy tomatoes will begin to gently burst, creating a thick and rich sauce. Then chicken goes back in the pan topped with thick mozzarella slices that will melt to perfection as the chicken cooks fully through!
We served our chicken and tomatoes over 5-minute couscous which soaked up the flavors deliciously 🙂
Caprese Chicken Skillet
INGREDIENTS
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed well
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs. tomato paste
- 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella
- 3 tbs. olive oil, separated
- fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Season trimmed chicken breasts well with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a medium skillet, warm 2 tbs. olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add chicken breasts “pretty side” down first and let cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan.
- Carefully clean out any burnt pieces from the pan with a folded paper towel and discard. Warm another 1 tbs. of olive oil over medium low heat, then add in whole cherry tomatoes. Toss frequently and after about 2-3 minutes, add in diced onions, garlic, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Cook for another minute while you gently press on the tomatoes to make them burst (gently being the key word haha). Make room in the pan to put chicken breasts back in, then top with two slices of mozzarella each.
- Place the skillet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Turn heat up to broil to make golden brown bubbles on the cheese. Remove skillet from oven and take chicken out to let cool slightly before serving, topping with fresh basil. Enjoy!