Baked Chicken Caprese
Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken and Veggies is an easy, satisfying meal all in one with wonderfully juicy, flavor bursting chicken smothered in gooey mozzarella cheese with fresh basil and the most incredible balsamic reduction!
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced horizontally in half (1 ½ pounds)*
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 4 slices thick mozzarella or 6-8 oz. shredded mozzarella
Balsamic Chicken Marinade
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp EACH dried oregano, dried basil, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Vegetables
- 12 oz. green beans, trimmed
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 yellow squash, halved sliced into ¼" pieces
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1/4 cup loosely packed basil, chiffonade
Balsamic Reduction
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Reserved Balsamic Glaze (in directions)
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the Balsamic Marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Remove 1/4 cup and add this to large freezer bag then whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 6 hours up to overnight. Refrigerate remaining marinade separately (“Reserved Balsamic”).
- When ready to serve, let chicken sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile prep vegetables and line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add green beans to baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon olive, 2 teaspoons Reserved Balsamic and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to Coat. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove green beans from oven and push to the left side of pan. Add squash and tomatoes to the other side. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Reserved Balsamic Mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt to squash/tomatoes. Toss to Coat. Mix all vegetables together and push to sides of pan to make room for chicken in the middle as pictured.
- Pat chicken dry of excess marinade and place in the center of pan. Drizzle chicken with 1 teaspoon Reserved Balsamic. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from oven. Layer each piece of chicken with 1 slice mozzarella followed by one tomato slice. Season tomatoes with freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste. Bake for an additional 5 minutes OR until chicken is fully cooked through (reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F). Cheese will spread quite a bit and green beans will look wilted but will still be tender-crisp (both are a good thing).
- Meanwhile, add all remaining Reserved Balsamic (there will only be a little left) to a small sauce pan along with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer just until the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat. If Reduction thickens before you use it, then reheat in the pan.
- Drizzle tomatoes/chicken with Balsamic Reduction, top with fresh basil and serve immediately. I love serving mine with brown rice.
Notes
*you can also use 4 small chicken breasts that equal 1 ½ pounds