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Grilled chicken breasts topped with melted cheese, sliced tomatoes, chopped basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze on a white oval plate.
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Grilled Chicken Caprese

🍅🧀🌿 An EASY, restaurant-worthy dish with juicy chicken that's topped with melted mozzarella cheese, grilled tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze for mouthwatering Caprese flavors that taste like you're in Italy🇮🇹! High protein, ready in 30 minutes, and both outdoor grill and indoor grill pan instructions provided below.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: 30-Minute Meals, Chicken, Dinner, Grill
Cuisine: Chicken, Dinner, Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Keyword: caprese chicken recipe, chicken caprese, grilled caprese chicken, grilled chicken caprese
Servings: 4
Calories: 455cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced (about 4 chicken breasts halved into about 8 thin cutlets or purchase thin-sliced chicken breasts; may use regular thickness chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs noting cooking times will vary)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Caprese Topping

  • 2 large ripe tomatoes sliced 1/2-inch thick (use any type of tomato you enjoy), grilled if desired
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced 1/4-inch thick (use mozzarella that's sold in a tub in water in the cheese case; don't use bagged shredded mozzarella)
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves sliced into ribbons (chiffonade), or as desired
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze (store-bought or homemade)
  • Olive oil optional for a final drizzle
  • Flaky sea salt optional for serving
  • Freshly ground black pepper optional for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat or set stove to high heat and preheat indoor grill pan.
  • Chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, evenly drizzle with olive oil as desired, and evenly sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the chicken on both sides. Use more seasonings, salt, or pepper than called for, if desired.
    Three raw, seasoned chicken breasts on a white plate, surrounded by sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, and a container of salt on a wooden surface.
  • Chicken Tips - I like to use thin-sliced chicken breasts, sometimes sold as chicken cutlets, for this recipe for quicker cooking. You can use regular thickness chicken breasts, although I would pound them to uniform thickness, if you prefer noting they'll take longer to cook through. Boneless chicken thighs are also an option.
    Four raw, seasoned chicken breast fillets on a ridged grill pan.
  • Grilling: Place the chicken on either your outdoor grill or indoor grill pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or as needed, until the chicken is nearly done.
    Grilling Tips - If you're using an outdoor grill, make sure to keep control of the heat output because thin-sliced chicken breasts will cook very quickly on an outdoor grill and you don't want to accidentally overcook them so that they get dried out.
    Four grilled chicken breasts with visible grill marks are cooking on a ridged grill pan, with metal tongs holding one piece.
  • Cheese: In the final 1 minute of cooking, place the cheese slices over each piece of chicken. If you're using an outdoor grill, it's very easy to close the lid to encourage the cheese to melt. If you're using an indoor grill pan, you may want to tint it with a sheet of foil.
    Tip - Make sure to break or cut the cheese so it's approximately the same shape as the chicken so it doesn't stick to the grates and burn.
    Four grilled chicken breasts topped with slices of mozzarella cheese cooking on a ribbed grill pan.
  • Tomatoes: If you want to grill your tomatoes, do it now while the cheese is melting.
    Four slices of tomato being grilled on a ridged grill surface, showing char marks and slight caramelization.
  • I lightly drizzle the tomatoes with a bit of olive oil so they don't stick to the grill, add a pinch of salt and pepper to them, and then grill them for about 60-90 seconds per side, or as desired. You're not really cooking them through, rather just softening them and adding flavor.
    Close-up of a dish featuring roasted tomato slices topped with chopped fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze on melted cheese.
  • Combining: Top the melted cheesy layer on each piece of chicken with the tomatoes and evenly sprinkle with basil ribbons.
    Grilled chicken breasts topped with roasted tomato slices, fresh basil, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze, served on a white oval plate.
  • As desired, evenly drizzle with balsamic glaze.
    A spoon drizzling dark balsamic glaze over a piece of chicken topped with melted cheese, roasted tomato, and chopped fresh basil.
  • Serving: Optionally for serving, drizzle with olive oil, and add flakey sea salt or pepper, as desired, and serve warm and fresh.
    A fork lifts a cheesy piece of chicken topped with tomato sauce and basil, served with a side of spaghetti and green vegetables on a white plate.

Notes

Storage: Recipe is best warm and fresh due to the melted cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil. However, leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently and as desired in the microwave. Although I'd probably just take it out of the fridge about an hour before I wanted to eat it and then eat it at room temp rather than trying to reheat but it's up to you. 
Grilled chicken breast topped with mozzarella, tomato, and herbs, served with spaghetti and a side of fresh greens on a white plate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 455cal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1138mg | Potassium: 850mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1116IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 1mg
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