A Caprese salad is often served as an appetizer at restaurants. As they wait for the main course, someone at the table says, ‘this is so simple but so good’. The appetizer includes sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. With this recipe, caprese gets its due.
You have a weeknight dinner that takes only 15 minutes to prepare, looks more complicated than that, is very filling, and has a ton of vegetables and fresh basil, so you can feel good about your dinner choice. Chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper. Tomatoes become softer with armoas of chicken. Mozzarella becomes melted. And basil brings it all together.
I created this for a Tuesday with only some chicken breast in the fridge for a friend who says she “doesn’t really cook” and once for a dinner when I wanted to look like I planned something without being too obvious. It worked all three times.
Contents
The Quick Rundown
- What you’re making: Pan-seared chicken breasts topped with ripe tomato, melted fresh mozzarella, and torn basil. Caprese energy, real-dinner calories.
- Why it works: A hot pan crusts the chicken; a lid traps steam to melt the cheese without overcooking the meat. Five real ingredients carry the whole thing.
- Timing: 15 minutes start to finish on the stovetop. About 25 minutes if you bake.
- Flavor profile: Savory chicken, sweet tomato, milky mozzarella, peppery basil, with a balsamic finish if you want a little tang.
- Key tips: Pat the chicken dry, don’t crowd the pan, butterfly thick breasts so they cook evenly all the way through.
- Best uses: Fast weeknight dinner for two, low-carb option that doesn’t read as low-carb, summer cooking when tomatoes are at their best.
Ingredients
For what it is, this five-ingredient dinner is great! This demonstrates that high-quality ingredients trump technique. Your fancy knife skills will be outshone by super fresh mozzarella cheese and a perfectly ripe tomato!
Master Ratio (Easy To Scale)
- 2 chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 oz each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to finish
- 1 large tomato, sliced (or 2 small)
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into ¼-inch rounds (or pearls/ciliegine)
- 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves
- Optional: balsamic glaze for drizzling
Serves 2. Scales directly up by the breast: from each breast, one average-sized tomato is a fairly reasonable portion.
Ingredient Choices That Change Flavor
- Chicken: Boneless skinless breasts are the workhorse. Boneless thighs are excellent if you prefer dark meat; cook them a touch longer and don’t bother butterflying.
- Tomato: A real summer tomato makes this dish. Roma works in a pinch (tighter texture, fewer seeds). Halved cherry or grape tomatoes work if a slicer isn’t available.
- Mozzarella: Fresh mozzarella in water, the squidgy milky kind, not the firm low-moisture pizza cheese. Sliced rounds, ciliegine pearls (pictured), or torn pieces all work; pearls melt fastest and look like pebbles in the best way.
- Basil: Tear at the very end. Use a generous amount. It’s not a garnish here, it’s an ingredient.
- Balsamic glaze: Optional but excellent. Store-bought is fine. Skip if you don’t have it; the dish is still a complete sentence without it.
For Serving (Optional, but Highly Encouraged)
- A drizzle of balsamic glaze right before eating
- Flaky sea salt for the very last second
- A bigger pinch of cracked pepper than you think you need
- A side of roasted asparagus, a farro salad, or a heel of bread to mop up the juices
Instructions
You could either use the stovetop with a cast-iron skillet (which makes a better crust, and is quicker overall), or bake it (where it’s easier, and you don’t have to flip it). The image displays the stovetop version. Regardless of how you decide to make it, remember not to move the chicken until it’s ready to move.
1) Prepare the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry using paper towels. This is important for searing because wet meat will only steam. Butterflying or pounding the chicken breast to an even thickness will ensure it cooks uniformly. Add plenty of salt and pepper to both sides of the chicken breasts.
2) Sear (stovetop method). Add the olive oil to a large skillet and warm it over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Place the chicken in and allow it to cook for 5 to 6 minutes. The bottom will become deeply golden. Once it’s a deep golden color, flip the chicken and let it cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. As an alternative, you may bake the chicken by setting the oven temperature to 400°F. Pour some oil over the chicken and season it with your choice of spices. It will take approximately 20 to 25 minutes to achieve an internal temperature of 165°F.
3) The chicken needs to have tomato and mozzarella added. After the chicken is done cooking, place 2 to 3 slices of tomato on each breast followed by 2 to 3 slices of mozzarella on top of the tomatoes. Don’t fret about how much of the chicken is showing.
To melt the cheese, cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Give the mozzarella 2 to 3 minutes to soften and slump. (If you baked, put the skillet back in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.) You don’t want a fully melted cheese situation, but just enough so that the cheese looks a little melted and the tomato sauce is starting to glaze the chicken.
5) Finish and serve. Next, place the chicken on the plates and garnish with fresh basil (whole or torn, your choice) and black pepper. Optionally, add a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately, and accompany with farro salad or roasted asparagus.
Riffs That Work
- Pesto twist: Spread a thin layer of pesto on the chicken before adding the tomato. Doubles the basil presence and tints the whole plate green-gold.
- Bruschetta-style topping: Skip the sliced tomato. Top with diced tomato tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and basil. Eat over pasta or grain bowls.
- Prosciutto layer: A folded slice of prosciutto under the cheese turns this into a slightly richer, dinner-party version.
- Chicken thighs instead: Boneless skinless thighs cook the same way and bring more flavor. Slightly longer cook time, no butterflying needed.
Good Company for This Dish
- Drinks: A crisp pinot grigio, a chilled lambrusco, an Italian-style lager, or sparkling water with lemon.
- Vegetable side: Roasted asparagus, sautéed zucchini, blistered green beans, or a tangle of arugula with lemon and olive oil.
- Carb side: Farro salad, lemony orzo, garlic bread, or a slice of focaccia for the juices.
- Make it a board: Slice the chicken, fan it on a platter with extra mozzarella balls, halved tomatoes, and torn basil. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and balsamic. Caprese-as-main, served family style.
Common Stumbles, Easy Saves
- Chicken came out dry. The breasts were probably too thick or cooked too long. Butterfly them next time and pull at 160°F (carryover gets you to 165°F off-heat).
- No crust on the sear. Pan wasn’t hot enough or the chicken was wet. Heat the pan until the oil shimmers, and pat the meat very dry before it goes in.
- Mozzarella didn’t melt. Either the lid wasn’t on, or the heat was too low. Cover and give it another minute; pearls melt much faster than slices.
- Tomato is watery. Lay the slices on a paper towel for a minute before topping. Pulls just enough liquid that the chicken doesn’t end up swimming.
Nutrition and Storage Notes
Depending on how big your chicken breast is and how much mozzarella you use, each serving has approximately 380 to 450 calories. In addition to the protein for each chicken breast being about 45g and having low carbohydrates, the olive oil provides fat-soluble nutrients while the chicken and tomato provide antioxidants along with vitamin C.
In the refrigerator, leftovers can be stored for 2 to 3 days, and should be stored covered. For reheating, you can use an oven at 325°F or low heat in a covered pan. Cheese will become rubbery if you microwave it, so avoid this. It’s also nice to eat the salad the day after.
How It’s Gone for Me
This recipe varies by the day:
- Date-night version: Plate carefully, drizzle with balsamic glaze in slow concentric lines, sprinkle flaky salt, light a candle, pour something cold. Looks like restaurant work for ten extra seconds of effort.
- Tuesday version: One pan, no balsamic, eaten standing at the counter while you wait for someone to get out of the shower. Still feels like dinner.
- Meal-prep version: Make 4 to 6 breasts at once. Slice cold leftovers over greens, tuck into wraps, or fold into pasta with extra mozzarella the next night.
The Before-You-Cook Rundown
- Pick up: chicken breasts, a ripe tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic glaze (optional)
- Pat chicken dry, butterfly if thick, season with salt and pepper
- Heat skillet hot, sear 5 to 6 minutes per side to 165°F internal
- Top each breast with tomato slices, then mozzarella slices
- Cover, reduce heat to low, melt cheese for 2 to 3 minutes
- Plate, top with torn basil, crack of pepper, optional balsamic drizzle
- Serve with asparagus, farro salad, or bread
Terms Worth Knowing
- Butterflying: Slicing a thick piece of meat horizontally most of the way through so it opens like a book, creating a thinner, more even cutlet that cooks faster and more evenly.
- Fresh mozzarella: The soft, milky mozzarella sold in water or whey. Different from low-moisture mozzarella (the firm shredding kind used on pizza).
- Ciliegine: Cherry-sized pearls of fresh mozzarella. Italian for “little cherries.” Melt fast, look great, save you a knife.
- Carryover cooking: The phenomenon where meat continues to cook from residual heat after coming off the stove. Usually 5 to 10°F worth of cook, which is why pulling chicken at 160°F gets you to a safe 165°F at the table.
Asked and Answered
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
They may be better. Boneless skinless thighs deliver more taste and are more forgiving when it comes to overcooking. Sear them for 6 to 7 minutes on each side, and butterflying is unnecessary. Skip the temperature check. Pull them once they look cooked through and have a little bit of crust.
What if I don’t have fresh mozzarella?
Burrata is an elegant touch. Provolone melts beautifully, and has a more sophisticated flavor. You can use low-moisture mozzarella if you really have to but don’t expect it to get all oozy like other cheeses. Since the anti-caking agent will cause your chicken to look and feel strange, do not use pre-shredded cheese.
Can I make this ahead?
Cooked chicken is good for 2 to 3 days. However, basil and tomatoes are best on the same day. To prepare, sear the chicken and place it in the refrigerator. After that, do the topping and melting, and add the basil just before serving.
Is this keto / low-carb?
It is, when taken most strictly. All of the mentioned items chicken, mozzarella, tomato, basil, and olive oil are low in carbs If you are tracking strictly, skip the balsamic glaze (it contains added sugar) and pair it with a non-starchy vegetable.
Wrapping Up
Having dinner like this on a Tuesday makes it feel like you have your life all figured out. It takes only 15 minutes and 5 ingredients to prepare. It seems like it took a lot more effort than it actually did. Provided you rotate your chicken, fresh mozzarella, and ripe tomatoes, you can do this whenever your fridge is demanding something and you don’t want to argue.
