Jump to RecipeJuicy, succulent chicken breasts stuffed with chopped arugula, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. Oven-baked and glazed with a tangy, sweet balsamic glaze and topped with more melty Mozzarella cheese. This simple, yet sophisticated dinner is ready in less than 60 minutes!
I don’t know who invented the Caprese Salad, but that person deserves an award! The marriage of juicy fresh tomatoes, basil leaves and creamy mozzarella splashed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar is one of the most irresistible flavor combinations I can think of!
What if I told you that you can have a fresh Caprese Salad and juicy Baked Chicken all in rolled into one delicious dinner pulled together in less than an hour!?
Yes really, dreams do come true, and this sweet dream has come in the form of your new favorite chicken dinner: Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken
Why this Recipe for Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken Works!
1- Balanced Meal! It’s has your serving of vegetables AND protein in one dish! All you need is a nice crusty baguette to accompany the these stuffed chicken breasts and your dinner is complete!
2. Universally Beloved Flavors! This dinner is sure to please, I mean who doesn’t love Caprese? This would be a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party. It’s impressive enough to wow you guests, yet budget friendly.
Easy to Assemble in Advance! If you are a meal preppy kind of person, you could prepare these a day or two ahead of time and bake them when you are ready.
Tender, Never Dry Chicken! Although oven baked chicken breasts can run the risk of being dry, the high moisture content that the tomatoes, arugula and fresh mozzarella lend to the chicken yield an incredibly juicy result!
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken
Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are needed for this recipe. You will want to use the whole breast, not a thin sliced one.
Seasoning: Make a blend of kosher salt, black pepper, dried basil and oregano to season the inside and outside of the chicken with.
Tomatoes: Halved grape or cherry tomatoes are perfect.
Fresh Mozzarella- You could also use a regular mozzarella low moisture variety, but I really recommend fresh. Think of a Caprese salad.. would you really want to substitute fresh mozzarella with low-moisture mozzarella? … this is clearly a rhetorical question!! Cause: NO!
Arugula: Chopped. Baby spinach would also work nicely!
Fresh Basil: Just as you would in a Caprese salad, basil pairs beautifully with tomatoes and brings a fresh, bright, fragrant sweetness to the dish.
Balsamic Reduction Glaze: Only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed to make a Balsamic Glaze; a good quality balsamic vinegar, with brown sugar and minced garlic.
How to Make Caprese Stuffed Balsamic Chicken
Preheat your oven to 375° F and assemble the caprese filling.
Then slice and season the chicken breasts.
Stuff the caprese filling inside the chicken and secure with toothpicks. Place on baking sheet
Make the balsamic glaze and spoon over each stuffed chicken breast.
Bake for 20 minutes, then take the caprese stuffed chicken out of oven. Bump up the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Remove toothpicks and top chicken with MORE shredded mozzarella cheese. Then bake and additional 10 minutes.
Remove chicken from oven and serve with balsamic pan juices from the bottom of baking sheet spooned over top.
Caprese Stuffed Stuffed Balsamic Chicken {VIDEO}
Ingredients
- 5 Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
- 2½ tsp salt divided , 1/2 tsp for caprese. 2 tsp for seasoning mix
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella divided. 1 cup- cubed , 1 cup- shredded
- 2 cups arugula leaves chopped
- ¼ cup basil leaves chopped
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F
- In medium sized mixing bowl, combine : tomatoes, arugula, basil, cubed fresh mozzarella, 2 tbsp of olive oil and ½ tsp of salt. Toss to combine and set aside. This will be the mixture to stuff the chicken.
- Make the seasoning for the chicken by combining : 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano in ramekin.
- Partially butterfly chicken breasts, You want to just cut a pocket for the filling, about 3/4 quarter of the way through. Start on the on the thickest side of each breast, being careful not to cut all the way. Season each breast inside and out with the homemade spice blend.
- Fill each breast pocket with about ½ cup or more of the stuffing mix. Secure filling by inserting toothpicks on the outer edge of the stuffed side.
- Add each stuffed chicken breast to a baking sheet. Set aside and make balsamic glaze.
- Whisk together balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and minced garlic. Heat in nonstick skillet, bring to boil to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon over each stuffed chicken breast.
- Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven. Turn temperature to 425 degrees. Top chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese. Chicken is finished when internal temperature reaches 165°F and cheese is bubbly and brown, about another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve with pan juices from the bottom of baking sheet spooned over top.
Notes
Nutrition
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