Caprece Chicken
Caprese Chicken
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp pesto
1 oz. mozzarella cheese
3-4 Roma tomatoes, or tomato variety of preference
4-5 fresh basil leaves
1 small shallot
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Rub both sides of chicken breast with pesto, and marinate in the fridge for a least an hour. After chicken has marinated, remove from fridge and salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the thickest part of the breast, cut a 1 inch hole, then widen into a pocket for the cheese with your finger, or the handle of a spoon. Add cheese to pocket and transfer chicken to a glass baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
While chicken is baking, thinly slice the shallot and marinate in the balsamic vinegar for at least 15 minutes to remove their bite. While the shallots are marinating, chop your tomatoes. Add olive oil to tomatoes, along with basil leaves cut in a chiffonade(thin strips). Add shallots and balsamic vinegar to tomatoes. Salt and pepper the salad and put in fridge to chill while chicken continues to cook.
Cut the cooked chicken breast in half, cover with half of the tomato salad, grab utensils, and dig in!
*Note: the pesto I used in this recipe was just fresh basil leaves ground up with olive oil. I didn’t add nuts or cheese since the chicken breast was going to be stuffed with cheese, and I didn’t add garlic because I wanted to stick with the flavors of a caprese salad. Using store bought or traditionally prepared pesto would work just fine, but realize the nutrition facts will differ just slightly from […]
