🍅🥒🧀 This balsamic chicken caprese salad combines juicy chicken with a balsamic dressing, plump tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil. Nutritious, refreshing, and full of flavor, it’s easy and ready to eat in 15 minutes for a salad you’ll make again and again!
Table of Contents
Easy Chicken Caprese Salad
I love anything balsamic, like my balsamic chicken and vegetables or sheet pan balsamic salmon and vegetables. However, in the summer, I especially love caprese salads.
This caprese salad with lettuce an easy salad that’s healthy, ready in 15 minutes, and loaded with flavor. Since there’s already balsamic vinegar on traditional caprese salads, the balsamic chicken was a great complement.
Rather than solely using balsamic vinegar when I cooked the chicken and to dress the salad, I also used Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Salad Dressing. It’s made with simple ingredients and is a choice you can feel good about. It enhanced the flavor of the chicken as well as the fresh ingredients in the salad.
If you can’t find this dressing in your area, I recommend another balsamic-based dressing. Or my homemade balsamic reduction would be especially delicious here!
The chicken is tender and juicy and it’s perfect with the crisp lettuce, creamy fresh mozzarella, juicy ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and peppery fresh basil.
What’s in Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad?
To make this chicken caprese salad with lettuce, you’ll need:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chicken breasts – I prefer lean chicken for this recipe, but chicken thighs will also work. Or, skip cooking, and use leftover grilled chicken like my grilled lemon chicken. You could also use grilled shrimp instead.
- Salt and pepper
- Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Salad Dressing
- Balsamic vinegar
- Romaine lettuce – Feel free to mix and match the greens used as the base of the salad. I used romaine lettuce, but a spinach blend, butter leaf lettuce, etc. would work too
- Fresh tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work best. You can use any variety of tomatoes you’d like in this salad. Just make sure they’re ripe (they should be quite fragrant, if so)
- Fresh mozzarella balls – For the mozzarella, I used small balls called ciliegine but another type can be substituted. Just be sure to use fresh mozzarella for the best flavor and texture
- English cucumber
- Fresh basil leaves
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chicken Caprese Salad
Here’s a quick overview of how to assemble this Caprese balsamic chicken salad. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!
- Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
- Add the chicken to an oiled skillet. When the chicken is about 90% cooked through, add 3 tablespoons of balsamic dressing and 1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze.
- Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat or until the chicken is cooked through. You’ll know it’s done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To a large platter or bowl, add the lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumber, and cooked chicken.
- Evenly sprinkle with fresh basil. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad
Storage:
You can cook the chicken in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. However, I don’t recommend storing the salad once assembled.
You can enjoy the leftover balsamic chicken in a cold Caprese salad, or you can gently reheat it before assembling the salad.
Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- about 1.25 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper, for seasoning
- ¼ cup Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Salad Dressing
- 2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus more for dressing the salad
- 4 cups romaine or Italian lettuce blend
- 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, diced (I used Roma, vine-ripened or cherry tomatoes may be substituted)
- ¾ cup fresh mozzarella, I used small balls called ciliegine; another type of mozzarella may be substituted
- ¾ cup English cucumber, diced (regular cucumbers may be substituted)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh basil or to taste, finely minced
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, evenly season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is 90% cooked through. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure all sides cook evenly.
- Add 3 tablespoons Balsamic Salad Dressing, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, stir to combine and make sure all pieces of chicken are coated.
- Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat or until chicken is cooked through. Allow chicken to rest in pan, off the heat, while you plate the salad.
- To a large platter or bowl, add the lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumber, chicken, and evenly sprinkle with basil.
- Drizzle with salad dressing and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Summer Salad Recipes:
Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Quinoa Salad (GF) – Trying to keep meals healthier and lighter? Make this easy, refreshing, and satisfying salad!
Chicken Orzo Salad — Juicy chicken tossed with orzo, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and a super flavorful lemon vinaigrette!! Easy, healthy, ready in 30 minutes, and a perfect way to use your garden fresh veggies!
Tabbouleh – Never had it? Think couscous or quinoa mixed with vegetables, herbs, lemon and olive oil! Easy, no cooking required, healthy, and packed with so much flavor!
Lemon, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Almond Quinoa Salad – Fast, easy, and fresh! Bright flavors and loads of texture! This clean-eating salad keeps you full and satisfied! Healthy never tasted so good!
Italian Chicken Pasta Salad – Easy, ready in 20 minutes, and healthy! Bursting with fresh flavors from juicy tomatoes, cucumber, basil, parmesan, and tender chicken tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette!
Smoky Chicken, Peppers, and Spinach Pasta Salad – Juicy chicken, crisp bell peppers and pasta with smoked paprika! Fast, easy, healthy and a hit with everyone! Great for picnics, potlucks, or easy weeknight dinners!
Garden Fresh Tortellini Pasta Salad — Juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and corn with creamy avocado, basil and parmesan tossed in lemon vinaigrette with cheese tortellini! Healthy, easy, ready in 15 minutes!
Loaded Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing – Fast, easy, fresh and healthy! All your favorite taco flavors in one big kickin’ salad that everyone will love!
BLT Chopped Salad with Homemade Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing — Fast, fresh, healthy, and satisfying!
Post is brought to you by Marzetti. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #ForTheLoveOfProduce #Marzetti
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The Marzetti® Brand. The opinions and text are all mine.
This salad looks SO fresh. Balsamic chicken is a perfect addition to a caprese salad :)
I love a dark leafy greens salad with pears, blue cheese, peppered candied pecans, dried cranberries and a shallot vinaigrette.
Balsamic is my favorite! I make something similar to the Caprese salad,but use thinly chopped steak!
My favorite salad is a chopped salad with chicken and honey mustard dressing.
I love salads and eat one everyday so it is very hard to pick a favorite. My go to salad would be a Wedge Salad with small diced tomatoes, some fresh herbs, crispy bacon and topped with blue cheese dressing.
hey girl I love a salad chop up fine with croutons ,blue cheese dressing and ranch and you can’t forget grated cheese! And maybe an egg on the side! Yummy! Plus sunflower seeds!
It’s not my recipe, but not too long ago I made a Vegetarian Kale Salad. It has kale, avocados, crispy chickpeas, fried eggs, and a dressing made with lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. It’s delicious!
I like a fried chicken cobb salad
I love putting lots of crunchy vegetables in my salad.
I love different flavor vinaigrettes and love to put them on my salads.
I love salad, any kind of salad will do! Blue cheese, avocado’s, eggs, fresh tomatoes yum yum :-)
Summer and salads just go together perfectly, and this salad looks delicious; I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
I love adding cooked beets to salads with Balsamic or Vinagarette dressing. They give a salad good color, they add flavor, and beets are good for you too!
We also love dried cranberries and candied walnuts in salads.
There are so many things you can add to salads!!!
I love to make quinoa salad mixed with crumbled feta,black cured olives ,cucumbers and fresh basil.You can add chopped tomato, chopped onions and mix with red wine vinaigrette.I’m sure balsamic would work just as well
I just found your site yesterday and I already wanna try some of your recipes, thanks for sharing !
On my salads I love to add a little bit of some roasted red pepper hummus mixed with some balsamic vinaigrette to give my salad a nice zip as well as add a creamy texture to it from the hummus!!