Honey Balsamic Caprese Chicken Bake is a fresh and healthy recipe with marinated chicken breasts, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil. This light 30 minute dinner recipe is low carb and absolutely delicious!
Baked Chicken Caprese
I can’t get enough of this Baked Chicken Caprese recipe! It is so simple to make but is bursting with fresh flavors and produce. Get the last bit of goodness out of your garden tomatoes and basil with this easy low carb recipe!
Balsamic Chicken is a favorite of mine, and this Caprese version is sweet cherry tomatoes topped with cheesy goodness is next level good! Even the leftovers were bomb the next day for an easy lunch.
Best of all, it is a very healthy dinner that can easily be meal prepped. This low carb recipe is keto friendly and only takes 30 minutes to make!
How to make Chicken Caprese?
I love a good chicken bake recipe where I can throw everything in the pan and bake it for dinner. Especially when in comes together in just 30 minutes, much like this Roasted Peach BBQ Chicken Bake!
For this Honey Balsamic Caprese Chicken we use fresh mozzarella, but if you don’t have access to it, you can easily substitute a block of grated mozzarella. I would caution against a bag of pre-shredded cheese though, as it tends to get rubbery.
Marinated Honey Balsamic Chicken
To get started you will need to add your chicken to a gallon ziploc bag. This isn’t the time to cheap out on bags because we will be pounding the chicken in this bag to tenderize it, so it needs to hold up.
If your chicken breasts are large, cut them in half before adding them to the bag. Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, pound the chicken evenly until it is 1/2 inch thick.
Tenderize your chicken breasts!
Tenderizing chicken is a critical step too many people skip. It not only cooks faster, but it creates uniform chicken breasts that cook evenly. It results in juicy and tender chicken that is worth the extra 3 minutes of effort!
After your chicken is tenderized, add the marinade to the bag and seal it up tightly. Squish the chicken and marinade around so all of the chicken is evenly coated.
When choosing balsamic vinegar, note that they can have drastically different flavors. I have some tried some that just weren’t very good. The one that I find consistently better than the others I have tried is this balsamic vinegar.
Chicken Caprese Bake
At this point just allow the chicken to do a quick marinade while your oven is preheating, or you can meal prep the chicken for the next day or two and pop it in the refrigerator to really let the flavors soak in.
When you are ready to bake your Chicken Caprese, spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken in the bottom of the pan so it isn’t overlapping.
In a separate bowl, mix the tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Add them to the baking dish with the chicken. Bake for 15 minutes.
When the chicken is just about done, remove it from the oven and nestle some slices of fresh mozzarella over each chicken breast. Return it to the oven and bake or broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is warm and soft.
How to serve Caprese Chicken?
When the cheese is slightly melted and the chicken is cooked through, it is time to enjoy this wonderful entree. Serve each chicken breast topped with some chiffonade basil.
If you want to take the Caprese Chicken to the next level, drizzle it with a little bit of balsamic reduction. It adds some sweetness and a deeper balsamic flavor that is absolutely fantastic.
What to serve with Chicken Caprese?
This Chicken Caprese Bake is a fantastic low-carb meal all on it’s own. If you are craving something a little bit heartier and wondering what you should serve with Caprese Chicken, I would suggest some simple roasted root vegetables, rice or quinoa.
If you really want to impress your family or guests, I highly recommend giving this Balsamic Glazed Bacon Wrapped Squash a try! The sweet and savory flavors are absolutely divine and it would tie in nicely with the balsamic marinade on the chicken.
If you want to keep things light but add some more veggies to your dinner, this Ribboned Zucchini & Squash Salad, Light Bleu Cheese Broccoli Slaw or Asparagus Feta & Quinoa Salad are great side dishes.
More Amazing Caprese Recipes!
- Caprese Whipped Goat Cheese Dip
- Grilled Caprese Panini
- Sweet Corn Caprese Pizza
- Classic Caprese Salad
- Caprese Chicken Cheese Wrap
Honey Balsamic Caprese Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast pounded out to 1/2 inch thick
- 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes
- 8 oz. fresh Mozzarella sliced into 4 pieces
- Balsamic glaze optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Add the chicken breasts to a heavy duty resealable bag. Using a rolling pin, pound out the chicken until it is 1/2 inch thick.
- Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken and seal the bag. Squeeze until the chicken is well coated and marinate in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating or up to 48 hours.
- Dump the contents of the chicken and marinade into a sprayed 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the chicken so it isn’t overlapping.
- In a medium bowl, drizzle the tomatoes with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Add the tomatoes to the top of the chicken.
- Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Top with slices of fresh Mozzarella. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 and the cheese is melted.
- Serve topped with fresh basil and optional balsamic reduction.
Malinda Linnebur says
My husband and I loved this meal. We are trying to do more low carb meals and I am glad I found this one!
Julie says
This was a huge hit for supper! The whole family loved it, thank you so much!
Megan says
I love anything caprese so this was the perfect recipe! So flavorful and easy, I love the 30 minute aspect. Definitely a keeper!
Alison says
So much flavor! The family loved it.