Baked Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Baked Caprese Chicken with fresh melted mozzarella cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a sweet garlic balsamic reduction that’s ready in less than an hour but tastes like you’ve been slaving over the stove all day! The perfect meal to entertain with!

Welcome to the Monday addition of easy chicken dinners. Crispy, crunchy, cheesy, skillet chicken. The TRIPLE C’s that make EVERRRTHANG taste better.

You’re staring at my families new favorite dinner. Melted mozzarella. Roasted cherry tomatoes. And roasted chicken. Topped with a sweet garlic balsamic reduction. And just like, you weaseled your way into our hearts, you easy caprese chicken.

This new baked caprese chicken skillet recipe is the IT recipe – I love it because in one skillet you’ve got bone-in tender, seasoned chicken breasts with fresh melted mozzarella cheesy that stretched for MILES making my heart beat out of my chest and roasted cherry tomatoes that are just bursting with yummy cherry tomato-ness. All topped with the 3 ingredient balsamic reduction that I could literally eat with a spoon.

And you betcha i’m gonna be dipping my crusty bread in all that sauce. For you (sauce), a thousand times over. (My bookworms, can you name that book?)

It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of easy chicken dinners. And particularly white meat chicken that’s roasted in the oven and is super flavorful yet extremely tender. The kind of chicken that’s good enough to serve at a fancy shmancy dinner party. Look out Ina Garten, there’s a new sheriff in town!

To make the balsamic glaze, it’s just 3 simple ingredients – 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 garlic clove that’s smashed. You want to let this all simmer together until the sauce reduces by half. The first time I made this glaze, I dipped my spoon to have a taste and I kid you not, I took a step back because it was so delicious. Until recently I wasn’t very fond of balsamic vinegar. I always found it to be very overpowering. But wait till you taste it this way! It’s seriously going on everything I make from here on out.

This baked caprese chicken is simple. A little melted butter, some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a hint of red pepper flakes to season the skin on the chicken. If you aren’t a huge fan of white meat chicken, feel free to use chicken thighs as a replacement if you prefer dark meat.

Using an oven safe skillet makes this meal easy to take from the stove to the oven. Sear the chicken on the stove and then allow it to cook through in the oven. In the last 10 minutes of baking add the cherry tomatoes sand let them get all nice and bubbly and bursting with flavor.

I give this baked caprese chicken meal ★★★★★ and would say it’s easy enough for a beginner to make. You’ve got tender chicken, wrapped in the most sinfully delicious cheesy, gooey, melted mozzarella package of your LIFE, sweet cherry tomatoes, and the best balsamic reduction on this side of the planet.

Gourmet food that doesn’t require tons of work, yes, please, and thank you.

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Yield: 4 servings

Baked Caprese Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Baked Caprese Chicken with fresh melted mozzarella cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a sweet garlic balsamic reduction that's ready in less than an hour but tastes like you've been slaving over the stove all day! The perfect meal to entertain with!

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Ingredients

Balsamic reduction:

• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey

Caprese chicken:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 bone-in skin-on, chicken breasts
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 slices
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 10 leave basil, julienned

Instructions

Balsamic reduction:

1. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan, stir, and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and allow it to simmer until the vinegar mixture reduces to by half, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Caprese chicken:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450ºF.
2. While your balsamic reduction is simmering, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and basil. Brush the chicken breasts with the melted butter mixture.
3. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for just 30 seconds. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet, skin side down and allow each side to sear for 3 minutes. Place the chicken breasts skin side up and allow the chicken to bake for 15 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Place the mozzarella slices on each chicken breast and turn the broiler on for just 1-2 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.

To serve:

1. Place the cherry tomatoes on the chicken breast, top with julienned basil, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar reduction.

Notes

• If you prefer dark meat, chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts. Please keep in mind the cooking time will vary depending on the cut.

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