This easy Caprese Chicken recipe channels the delicious flavor of a classic caprese salad. In every bite of this juicy marinated chicken, you’ll get melty mozzarella, fresh basil, and fresh tomatoes!

chicken caprese and roasted asparagus on a white plate

Friends don’t make friends eat boring chicken dinners, which is why this chicken caprese recipe is so jam-packed with goodies and fresh flavor!

It’s a great recipe to keep in your back pocket next time you’re craving something fresh and delicious. There’s so much to love!

This Chicken Is Layered With Flavor

There’s a TON of flavor packed into this easy recipe! It’s similar to the grilled chicken margherita recipe from Olive Garden, but with a fresher, lighter twist.

EASE: This recipe isn’t difficult to make, but it does have a few components. Even so, you’ll only need about 30ish minutes of hands-on time to make it!
FLAVORS: Tangy balsamic marinade, melty mozzarella cheese, fresh basil pesto, ripe tomato salad, and a sweet balsamic glaze drizzled on top. All those classic caprese flavors you love!
TOP TIPS: Make sure to plan ahead so you can marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes! (I like to pop it in the marinade before work so it can marinate all day!)
SERVING SUGGESTION: Just add a green veggie or salad, and you’ve got a whole meal! (See our faves below.)

Happy cooking! xo, Emily

Ready to make this easy chicken recipe? Here are the fresh ingredients you’ll need to get started…

Gather Your Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to get started…

Chicken Breast. Boneless skinless chicken breasts add lean protein and provides a blank canvas for all the flavors we’ll add as we go! Pound the chicken out to even thickness for the best results, or buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets to save time on prep!
Balsamic Marinade. This tangy marinade features balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese. I like the good stuff for this recipe! Buy a log of fresh mozzarella that you can cut into thick mozzarella slices.
Basil Pesto. Then, you’ll need your favorite homemade pesto or store-bought pesto sauce for a delicious note of basil. If you have time, I think the fresh pesto adds the best flavor, but use what works for your schedule!
Fresh Tomato Salad. Next, you’ll layer the chicken with a quick tomato salad made from fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. I like using colorful red and yellow tomatoes for an extra pop of color!
Maybe Some Balsamic Glaze. Last, but not least, if you’re feeling fancy, you can add a little drizzle of balsamic glaze or balsamic reduction. It’s thicker than traditional balsamic vinegar and has a sweeter, almost syrupy texture that’s both gorgeous and delicious. It’s not strictly essential, but does add a little extra flavor!

How to Make This Caprese Chicken, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!

First Make The Marinade. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, the garlic, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk to combine well.
Marinate The Chicken. Add chicken to a ziptop bag or glass container and pour marinade over the chicken. Stir to evenly coat the chicken with marinade, then let the chicken marinate at least 30 minutes, up to 1 day. (If marinating longer than 30 minutes, I recommend storing in the refrigerator for best results.)
Cook The Chicken. Drain excess marinade from the chicken and cook the chicken. Air fry at 380 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Or, grill chicken over medium heat on an indoor or outdoor grill until chicken reaches 160 degrees F.
Top Chicken With Cheese. When the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 160 degrees F, top each piece of chicken with a slice of mozzarella cheese and cook 2-3 minutes more until the cheese melts and the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken and set it aside to rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.
While The Chicken Cooks, Make The Tomato Salad. In a large bowl, combine halved tomatoes with fresh basil, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir until evenly combined and set aside.
Garnish The Chicken. When the chicken is done resting, dollop 1-2 Tablespoons of pesto on top of the chicken, and top with a scoop of the marinated tomato salad. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired and enjoy!

Suggested Side Dishes

Garlic Bread. Soak up any extra tomato salad or pesto with a slice of this gluten-free garlic bread!
Asparagus. Some roasted asparagus or lemon asparagus is DELICIOUS with this dinner. (Our roasted asparagus is pictured next to the chicken in these photos!)
Broccoli. Or, go for some parmesan broccoli! The crispy edges are wildly delicious.
A Simple Green Salad. Arugula salad, our house salad, or a gluten-free caesar salad are all delicious side dishes.

balsamic marinated chicken breasts topped with mozzarella cheese, basil pesto, and fresh tomato salad

FAQ + Tips For The Best Caprese Chicken

Pound That Chicken! Pounding the chicken out to an even thickness of about 1/2-3/4 inch is a surefire way to guarantee that your chicken cooks evenly. If you prefer, you can buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets to save yourself this step of prep!

Go Dairy-Free. For a dairy-free option, you can skip the mozzarella and use our paleo-friendly dairy-free pesto recipe. It’s DELICIOUS and works beautifully in this chicken recipe!

Go Kid-Friendly. Both of my kids LOVED this recipe, though we did adapt it a bit to suit their tastes. My youngest wanted theirs without cheese or pesto, while my oldest preferred her chicken cut up and the pesto and tomato salad on the side for dipping. If I was making this for little kids, I’d dice the chicken up into bite-sized pieces, serve the mozzarella fresh on the side (also cut up!), then keep the pesto and tomato salad on the side as well so kids could take and try what they like.

Make-Ahead Tips

Consider Freezing The Chicken In the Marinade! One way to save yourself some time is to freeze the chicken in the marinade when you get home from the grocery store. Then, it can marinate as it thaws in the fridge on the day you plan to eat it.
Or, Mix Up Marinade In Advance. You can mix up the marinade 1-2 days in advance and store in the fridge, as needed.
Working With Leftovers? If you’re making this caprese chicken recipe in advance for meal prep, I keep the cooked chicken (with cheese), the pesto, and tomato salad separate so I can warm up leftover chicken and THEN top it with pesto and tomato salad later. Leftover chicken and tomato salad will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

More Easy Chicken Recipes To Try

Honey Lime Chicken

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

drizzling sauce on huli huli chicken skewers

Air Fryer Huli-Huli Chicken

gluten-free chicken caesar salad in a white serving bowl

Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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Recipe Card

Caprese Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 40

Print Pin Rate

Servings: Servings

Calories: 397kcal

Ingredients

For The Balsamic Marinated Chicken:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast , pounded to even thickness and cut into 4 pieces*
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For The Tomato Salad:

1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes halved
1-2 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
generous pinch flaky sea salt
generous pinch black pepper

Other Ingredients:

4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese about 1 ounce each
1/4-1/2 cup basil pesto we like our fresh basil pesto!
Balsamic reduction optional

Instructions

First Make The Marinade. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, the garlic, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk to combine well.
Marinate The Chicken. Add chicken to a ziptop bag or glass container and pour marinade over the chicken. Stir to evenly coat the chicken with marinade, then let the chicken marinate at least 30 minutes, up to 1 day. (If marinating longer than 30 minutes, I recommend storing in the refrigerator for best results.)
Cook The Chicken. Drain excess marinade from the chicken and cook the chicken. Air fry at 380 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken reaches 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Or, grill over medium heat until chicken reaches 160 degrees F.
Top Chicken With Cheese. When the chicken has reached 160 degrees F, top each piece of chicken with a slice of mozzarella cheese and cook 2-3 minutes more until the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken and set it aside to rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.
While The Chicken Cooks, Make The Tomato Salad. In a large bowl, combine halved tomatoes with fresh basil, 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir until evenly combined and set aside.
Garnish The Chicken. When the chicken is done resting, top each piece of chicken with 1-2 Tablespoons of pesto and a scoop of the marinated tomato salad. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired and enjoy!
Serve & Store. Enjoy right away or store leftovers separately in the fridge, if needed. (If you’re not eating the chicken all at once, I keep the chicken (with cheese), the pesto, and tomato salad separate so I can warm up leftover chicken and THEN top it with pesto and tomato salad later. Chicken will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

Notes

Pound That Chicken! Pounding the chicken out to an even thickness of about 1/2-3/4 inch is a surefire way to guarantee that your chicken cooks evenly. If you prefer, you can buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets to save yourself this step of prep!
Go Dairy-Free. For a dairy-free option, you can skip the mozzarella and use our dairy-free pesto recipe. It’s DELICIOUS and works beautifully in this chicken recipe!
Make-Ahead Tips. One way to save yourself some time is to freeze the chicken in the marinade when you get home from the grocery store. Then, it can marinate as it thaws in the fridge on the day you plan to eat it. Or, you can mix up the marinade 1-2 days in advance and store in the fridge, as needed.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caprese chicken, chicken margherita