How to Make the Best Chicken Caprese with Juicy Chicken
We make this Caprese chicken regularly, especially when tomatoes are in season. It’s simple, fresh and takes full advantage of three of our favorite ingredients: tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. Say goodbye to boring dry chicken breasts. This recipe makes chicken that’s unbelievably tender, juicy and flavorful. It’s easy, too. Scroll down to see three easy tips for making it best! Marinate the chicken breasts. Even the simplest marinade can make a huge difference — marinated chicken becomes moist, juicy and flavorful. Just 20 minutes in a marinade will make a difference. You could leave it for longer, but there is no need to go past 2 hours for chicken breasts (a whole chicken can marinate overnight). A resealable plastic bag or small rimmed dish makes marinating easy, too. In the recipe below, we marinate in a mixture of fresh lemon juice, garlic and basil. It’s simple, but makes a major difference to the end result. Cook the chicken in a skillet with lid. That’s right, for the juiciest most tender chicken breasts, sear them on one side in a skillet. Flip then cover with a lid and cook over low heat until done. The whole process takes 15 to 20 minutes. We do this in our Lemon Chicken Breast Recipe with Cucumber Feta Salad. Based on the reviews, you guys agree that sear, flip and cover is the way to go when it comes to chicken breasts. Give the tomatoes some time. Whether you are making this caprese salad or another tomato based salad, it’s really important to salt your tomatoes and then set them aside for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. As they sit with the salt, they become more flavorful and release some of their juices (also called tomato water). It’s this tomato water that turns into the dressing for our salad. Take a look at the photo below, see all that juice in the bottom of the bowl? That’s flavor!! So much flavor. When the tomatoes are ready, you can throw in mozzarella cheese and some torn basil leaves. Spoon that on top of a bed of spinach and your juicy chicken breasts and you are set!
More Easy Recipes
Take a look at our Quick Tomato and Mozzarella SaladThis highly rated Fresh Tomato Bruschetta RecipeOur Garlic Basil Marinated Chicken Breasts baked alongside fresh tomatoes and finished with mozzarella cheeseI also love this Extra Easy Caprese Salad (it’s the best!)Make meal time a breeze with these 10 easy baked chicken recipes. Featuring lemon chicken, roasted red pepper and basil chicken, chicken parmesan, easy baked chicken thighs and more!
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Pinch crushed red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, for cooking 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese Handful fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces 2 cups baby spinach leaves 2When ready to cook, brush extra garlic from the chicken and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan (with lid) over medium-high heat. As soon as the oil is hot and looks shimmery, add the chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Flip, reduce heat to low then cover with lid. Cook 10 to 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Transfer chicken to a plate then cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, slice, and then serve with the caprese salad. 2To serve, make a bed of spinach on a plate, add the sliced chicken then spoon a generous amount of the tomatoes and mozzarella on top. Drizzle some of the liquid left at the bottom of the bowl over the salad. Finish with torn basil leaves and enjoy.
