This Baked Caprese Chicken is quick and easy to prep, then bakes hands-off in the oven. The balsamic vinegar and tomatoes make a delicious pan sauce, perfect to serve with pasta or rice for dinner!
Note: I updated this recipe on 05/13/2021 from the original shared in 2019. The recipe received some improvements, but I also added new photos and better text to make the post more helpful to you.
If you came here from an old photo and got confused, here’s the comparison:
2019 version 2021 version
Chicken caprese bake
- This recipe is incredibly quick to prep – perfect for a busy weeknight.
- Feel free to marinate and refrigerate the chicken for up to a day ahead, in case you don’t have much time right around dinner time.
- This dish is very hands-off, but comes out so flavorful. It makes for a great, no-fuss family dinner – but it’s elegant enough to serve to company, too!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Brown sugar: If you don’t want to use sugar, you can also use honey or maple syrup instead.
- Mozzarella: You can use 1 cup shredded mozzarella instead of sliced. Double the cheese for extra cheesiness.
- Garlic: Feel free to use ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder in place of the fresh.
- More flavor: Add 1 red onion, thinly sliced, to the dish with the tomatoes for some extra flavor.
- Chicken broth: Skip the broth for a more intense balsamic taste. Do not discard any marinade before baking (see notes in recipe card at the bottom).
- Chicken: This also works with chicken thighs, the baking time will be 35-40 minutes for bone-in thighs and around 25-30 minutes for boneless thighs. Always check your chicken with a food thermometer to ensure it is hot enough for safe consumption.
Recommended internal temperature for chicken
Wondering when your chicken is done and safe to be eaten? I highly recommend investing in (the following is an affiliate link an I earn a commission for purchases made through it) a meat thermometer. I check pretty much everything I cook and bake with mine to make sure I’m at the accurate temperature.
The US government’s food safety website recommends cooking all poultry to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) for safe consumption.
How to make baked Caprese Chicken
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a casserole dish (mine is a little larger than 7×11 inches).
2. Add the chicken and turn it a few times to coat, then cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Discard half of the marinade before adding the tomatoes, if you prefer less sauce in the end. Make sure to stir the tomatoes around in the balsamic marinade, arranging them around and under the chicken.
marinate chicken arrange with tomatoes and bake top with cheese and finish baking serve with fresh basil
4. Bake the chicken at 425°F until almost done, around 20 minutes (depending on the exact size/thickness of the chicken breasts).
5. Top with cheese and return to the oven for 4-5 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbly. If you want the cheese to brown instead of just melted, place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes instead.
6. Serve the chicken immediately, topped with fresh basil.
Recipe tips
- I will often skip discarding half of the marinade. Instead, I drain the balsamic sauce from the dish after baking (remove the chicken first and keep it warm). I quickly boil the balsamic sauce in a wide pan on the stove for 4-5 minutes in order to reduce it to a thicker consistency. My family loves this tossed with pasta.
- For an intense balsamic flavor (my recipe is flavorful but not full-on vinegary to keep it kid-friendly), skip the chicken broth and only use balsamic vinegar. Do not discard any marinade before baking.
- Depending on the size/thickness of the chicken, your baking time may be little more or less than the recipe calls for. Check your chicken regularly to make sure you’re cooking it to the appropriate internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Use a casserole dish at least 7×11 inches in size. A smaller one will not correctly cook the dish. If your dish is very large, make sure you leave enough balsamic marinade in there to easily cover the bottom of the dish.
- Serve the chicken immediately once it’s done, else the cheese hardens and is less pleasant to eat.
About baking in the marinade: I’m a stickler about food hygiene, and I never re-use marinade for additional pieces of meat. But I’m perfectly fine with this way of preparing the chicken, as the chicken is only in the marinade for a short time and then gets baked for an extended period. This means the marinade gets fully cooked.
If you are uncomfortable with this way of using the marinade, please feel absolutely free to discard the marinade you used to flavor the chicken, and make a fresh batch for baking the chicken.
Serving suggestions
I always serve this with a starchy carb and an extra vegetable side (I know there’s tomatoes, but one meat and two veg, yada yada). Here are our favorites:
- Rice, pasta or mashed potatoes (or instant pot mashed potatoes for extra speed!)
- roasted asparagus (or air fryer asparagus)
- garlic roasted broccoli
- easy sautéed zucchini
- easy sautéed green beans (or air fried green beans)
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Baked Caprese Chicken
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup chicken broth see notes for more intense balsamic flavor
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar see notes for substitutes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sliced basil plus more to serve
- salt + pepper to taste
For the caprese chicken
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved; about 1 pint
- 4 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese OR 1 cup shredded
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: Combine marinade ingredients in a 7×11 inch baking dish. Whisk well, then add chicken, turning a few times in the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Prep: Once marinating time is up, preheat oven to 425°F. Remove chicken from refrigerator and uncover, discard half of marinade if desiring less sauce/a less runny sauce (see notes for tip). Add tomatoes to dish and stir around in balsamic marinade to cover, then arrange around and under chicken.
- Bake: Bake chicken in hot oven for 20-25 minutes, or until almost done (exact baking time depends on thickness of chicken!).
- Finish dish: Carefully remove casserole dish from oven (it's hot, use oven gloves!). Evenly top chicken with mozzarella. Bake for another 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with fresh basil.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Brown sugar: If you don’t want to use sugar, you can also use honey or maple syrup instead.
- Mozzarella: You can use 1 cup shredded mozzarella instead of sliced. Double the cheese for extra cheesiness.
- Garlic: Feel free to use ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder in place of the fresh.
- More flavor: Add 1 red onion, thinly sliced, to the dish with the tomatoes for some extra flavor.
- Chicken broth: Skip the broth for a more intense balsamic taste. Do not discard any marinade before baking (see notes in recipe card at the bottom).
- Chicken: This also works with chicken thighs, the baking time will be 35-40 minutes for bone-in thighs and around 25-30 minutes for boneless thighs. Always check your chicken with a food thermometer to ensure it is hot enough for safe consumption (165°F or 74°C).
Recipe tips
- I will often skip discarding half of the marinade. Instead, I drain the balsamic sauce from the dish after baking (remove the chicken first and keep it warm). I quickly boil the balsamic sauce in a wide pan on the stove for 4-5 minutes in order to reduce it to a thicker consistency. My family loves this tossed with pasta.
- For an intense balsamic flavor (my recipe is flavorful but not full-on vinegary to keep it kid-friendly), skip the chicken broth and only use balsamic vinegar. Do not discard any marinade before baking.
- Depending on the size/thickness of the chicken, your baking time may be little more or less than the recipe calls for. Check your chicken regularly to make sure you’re cooking it to the appropriate internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Use a casserole dish at least 7×11 inches in size. A smaller one will not correctly cook the dish. If your dish is very large, make sure you leave enough balsamic marinade in there to easily cover the bottom of the dish.
- Serve the chicken immediately once it’s done, else the cheese hardens and is less pleasant to eat.
Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published in August 2019. Updated with new photos, updates to improve recipe and better text on 05/13/2021.
Patty says
made tonite, hubby enjoyed over pasta and I had broccoli for less carbs. great flavor and great dish overall. super easy
Nora says
I’m so glad, Patty!
catelyn r. says
have made this several times before from ur old recipe, but tried your new tip of boiling the cooked sauce on stove today. so good, even better than before! thank u for always sharing ur great recipes..
Nora says
I’m so glad this recipe has been so great for you, Catelyn!
joan says
grands loved! and hubs loved how little dishes I used lol (he always does the dishes when I cook)
Nora says
I’m so glad, Joan! And my husband does the same. And is equally excited about recipes with little dishes, haha!
Sarah L says
Awesome recipe, family enjoyed.
Nora says
I’m so glad to hear it, Sarah!
Jennifer Herrera says
a little balsamic-heavy, bit great flavor overall. and can’t beat the easy prep.
Nora says
It’s definitely balsamic-heavy ? glad you still enjoyed the flavor, Jennifer, and I agree about the easy prep making this a keeper!
Ellen says
easy and delish. I doubled recipe to feed my son and his teenage friends and baked in my largest casserole dish. worked out well. made your sautéed zucchini on the side, as well as a ton of pasta. boys loved it and it was gone within seconds. glad you’re providing recipes that make the kids excited to eat their veggies!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Ellen! And thank YOU for trusting in my recipes for your family, it means the world to me.
Regina says
used boneless thighs. made a decent meal with rice, but next time I’d do pasta.
Nora says
Glad you liked it with chicken thighs, Regina!