🍗🍅🌿 My Pesto Chicken Caprese Salad combines JUICY chicken, ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a homemade pesto. A fun twist on classic Caprese, it’s easy, ready in 20 minutes, and loaded with rich basil flavor!
Pesto Chicken & Tomato Caprese Salad
- Caprese recipes, like my cherry tomato caprese salad, tortellini caprese pasta salad, balsamic chicken caprese salad, and tomato mozzarella salad with basil and quinoa, are one of my favorite things, especially in the summer, and I made this amped up version, which includes chicken and pesto.
- It’s an easy dish that’s healthy, light, intensely flavorful, and ready in 20 minutes.
- I broke the recipe down into three easy-peasy section: Pesto, chicken, and caprese salad. Done. I love pesto, and with all the fresh basil this time of year, ’tis the season. It’s easy and comes together in a food processor in one minute. Homemade is so much better than store-bought.
- The chicken cooks in the pesto, and it really helps the chicken stay tender, juicy, and adds so much basil-infused flavor. The cooked chicken is tossed with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and lightly drizzled with balsamic reduction. All the different textures and flavors complement each other beautifully!
This was so simple and delicious. Used some parsley pesto I had in the freezer. Looking forward to making it in the summer with garden tomatoes and fresh pesto and a glass of chilled wine! Oh and nice gluten free option for the MIL. Thanks.
Renee
What’s in Chicken Caprese Salad?
To make this caprese and pesto chicken salad, you’ll need:
- Pesto – You can use store-bought pesto, if preferred, but I find it quite salty. So, I much prefer to make my own. All you need is fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and HemisFares extra virgin olive oil (or any brand you have on hand)
- Chicken breasts – Be sure to dice the chicken into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. The chicken should be bite-sized so it’s easy to eat alongside the cherry tomatoes
- Fresh tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes are best
- Fresh mozzarella pearls – If you can’t find pearls, substitute fresh mozzarella cheese slices or grated mozzarella cheese
- Balsamic reduction or glaze – Balsamic vinegar is too runny and is much more acidic than a balsamic reduction. You can easily make homemade balsamic reduction if you don’t have it on hand
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
This pesto chicken caprese recipe couldn’t be simpler to make!
- First, you’ll pop all of the basil pesto ingredients into a food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Then, you’ll cook the diced chicken in an oiled skillet over medium heat or medium-high heat. You could also bake it in the oven or use leftover chicken, if preferred.
- When the chicken is 90% cooked through, add the pesto and finish cooking.
- After the chicken is cooked, it’s just a matter of tossing together the tomato caprese salad ingredients with the cooked chicken!
Can I Prep Chicken Caprese Salad in Advance?
No, this caprese pesto chicken salad is best enjoyed right away. You could likely cook the pesto chicken in advance and eat this as a cold chicken salad or even use it in caprese sandwiches, but I don’t recommend tossing the ingredients together until you’re ready to dig in. The basil will wilt and the tomatoes will become soggy over time.
Pesto Chicken Caprese Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves, from about one 4-ounce container
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 to 3 cloves garlic, to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste if desired
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ⅓ to ½ cup HemisFares Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ⅓ cup pesto
Caprese Salad
- 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved if desired
- one 8-ounce container fresh mozzarella ‘pearls’ or small mozzarella balls, drained
- 10 leaves fresh basil, torn in half
- 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction or balsamic glaze for drizzling, or to taste
Instructions
Make the Pesto:
- To the canister of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, add the basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice (helps pesto from oxidizing as quickly) salt, pepper, and blend on high speed momentarily to break ingredients down.
- With the motor running, drizzle in the olive until the pesto is smooth and emulsified; set aside.
Make the Chicken:
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat; stir and flip intermittently so chicken cooks evenly.
- When chicken is about 90% cooked through, add the pesto, stir to combine, reduce the heat to low, and allow the chicken to simmer in the pesto for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until chicken is done (internal temp of 165F).
Assemble the Caprese Salad:
- To a large bowl, add the chicken including the pesto/pan juices, mozzarella, basil, evenly drizzle with balsamic, stir to combine, and serve immediately. Dish is best fresh.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Summer Salad Recipes:
Check out 50+ AMAZING EASY SALADS!
Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad – Juicy chicken coated in balsamic along with plump tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and basil! Easy, healthy, ready in 15 minutes! The caprese salad you’ll make again and again!
Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Quinoa Salad – 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!
Chicken Gyro Salad with Tzatziki Sauce – Chicken gyros transformed into a healthy salad with an easy homemade tzatziki sauce that’s loaded with tangy dill flavor! Ready in 20 minutes!
Greek Pita Chip Salad – Greek salad just got a makeover! Still uses classic ingredients like red peppers, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta but now there are pita chips for extra crunch and texture! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes!
Mediterranean Cobb Salad — Easy, healthy, Mediterranean twist on classic Cobb salad that’s ready in 10 minutes! Artichokes, olives, peppers, cucumbers, feta, and more! The vinaigrette is light yet flavorful and DELISH!
Strawberry Pecan Grilled Chicken Salad — This easy and healthy yet satisfying salad is perfect for easy-breezy summer dinners or casual entertaining.
This is a sponsored post for HemisFares™ brand that is available exclusively at Kroger family of stores. All opinions are honest and 100% my own.he recipes, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own
This was so simple and delicious. Used some parsley pesto I had in the freezer. Looking forward to making it in the summer with garden tomatoes and fresh pesto and a glass of chilled wine! Oh and nice gluten free option for the MIL. Thanks.
This was so simple and delicious. Used some parsley pesto I had in the freezer. Looking forward to making it in the summer with garden tomatoes and fresh pesto and a glass of chilled wine! Oh and nice gluten free option for the MIL. Thanks.
I am glad you this was simple and delicious for you and you could take advantage of some pesto you had in the freezer! This is such a great summer meal too with all those garden fresh ingredients.
great
Their olive oil is SO good!!
Yes it is :) Your cheesy pasta looked amazing!
This caprese salad is gorgeous! I could eat it every day!
Thank you and me too! It was packed with such great basil flavor, we loved it!
So colorful and pretty. I love all things pesto!!!
Thank you! Me too!
I love this! So fresh and flavorful with an extra protein boost. This is a great summer salad and it’s going on my “to-make”list later this week.
This has SO much flavor! The pesto is just so herby and fresh and flavorful. We loved it! LMK how it goes if you try it!
This was the perfect lunch today (and Jon was home to enjoy it too)! I love fresh herbs all year around but basil is one of my three favorites…especially when tomatoes and mozzarella are involved. The balsamic glaze is just the right finish!
I am so glad you loved it and I had a feeling when I was making it, I thought, yep…Paula will probably make this one and love it :)
Fresh basil is the BEST! And I love that this has so much really robust basil flavor! And you can’t beat balsamic glaze!