Chicken Caprese

Chicken Caprese

May 9, 2018

Cook: 25 min

Total: 30 min

Print This

This elevated entree-Caprese marries moist and delicious balsamic-marinated chicken breasts with creamy mozzarella and luscious heirloom tomatoes.

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounce fresh mozzarella ball, sliced thinly (1/4 thick)
• 1 ripe heirloom tomato, sliced to match the mozzarella
• 1/4 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup balsamic glaze (1 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup brown sugar, *see directions in step 4!) - Trader Joes sells the best one

Directions

• Step 1 Wash and pat chicken dry. Punch small holes into the chicken using a fork to better absorb the marinade. Add chicken breasts to a ziplock bag and add the balsamic vinegar. Marinate the chicken in the balsamic vinegar overnight or for at least 1 hour.
• Step 2 After marinating, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Step 3 Brush a glass baking dish with olive oil. Place the boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the baking dish and brush them with olive oil. (This layer of olive oil helps keep the chicken moist.) Cover with tinfoil and bake chicken for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts – I recommend 18 minutes, but you have to know your oven!
• Step 4 *If you’re making your own glaze: mix balsamic vinegar with brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until glaze is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Glaze will thicken and should coat the back of a spoon.
• Step 5 Remove the chicken from the oven and top with mozzarella, then tomato and cook for about 3-5 minutes more, uncovered, until cheese just starts to melt.
• Step 6 Serve topped with basil leaves and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Every time I hear of a new diet, I’m sorry, but I immediately think “fad.” The ketogenic diet was no exception to this judgment until I dug a little deeper and discovered that it’s basically my philosophy for eating.  I just never knew it had a name until now!  This low carb/high fat diet checks almost every box for me.  In fact, the recommended keto food intake list could be pretty much be an ode to my favorite foods:

Foods to Eat on the Keto Diet:

• Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, egg
• Leafy Greens – spinach, kale
• Above ground vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower
• High fat dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter
• Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds
• Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
• Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners
• Other fats – coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.

That said, I’m always about moderation so no, I don’t live and die by this diet.  If I want a carb, I have a carb.  I just have never been someone who all out craves bread/pasta etc. so it’s the easiest thing for me to cut out if I want to shed a few pounds.  There’s also loads of health benefits attributed to this diet (if it’s right for you), which you can read about here and here.  It’s certainly nice to see keto having it’s moment in the sun right now, because I’m getting so much inspiration for the blog!

Case in point, this delicious Caprese Chicken. I saw a similar recipe with grilled chicken, but this is my spin on it, including oven directions for all seasons. Marinating the breasts as long as possible is really key here and I recommend using my marinating hack for the most succulent, moist chicken breasts you can dream of: pricking the breasts all over with a fork before marinating allows them to soak up all of the juices. This is especially important when you’re marinating boneless, skinless breasts, because they are the most likely to dry out when they cook. Covering the breasts with tinfoil during the baking process also helps avoid the dreaded dried-out chicken.

Marc decided to pair his chicken with pasta (not keto-friendly but gluten free brown rice fusilli from Trader Joe’s – THE BEST!) but I wanted to go lighter and whipped up a simple arugula salad with roasted garlic. Doesn’t it just make the plate so pretty!?

Topping this balsamic chicken with fresh creamy mozzarella and juicy heirloom tomatoes seems like such a simple way to elevate your basic chicken.  I’ll let you be the judge, but in my opinion, it’s pretty genius.  The flavors compliment each other so well, but each element still shines in it’s own right.  It’s such a great dish for entertaining, especially in the spring/summer season.  Perhaps even Mother’s Day dinner (wink wink!) – just sayin’!