5-Ingredient Caprese Chicken Bake (Ready in 30 Minutes)
5 ingredients, one pan, done in 30 minutes — classic caprese on chicken.
It's been a long day and you want something that tastes like you actually tried — without actually trying that hard. This caprese chicken bake is exactly that: chicken breasts go into a baking dish, get topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, then come out of the oven looking impressive and tasting genuinely good. Fresh basil goes on at the end so it stays bright and fragrant. Expect juicy chicken with melty cheese and sweet roasted tomatoes in about 30 minutes. Cleanup is minimal, the ingredient list is short, and nobody at the table needs to know how easy it was.
Ingredients
- 4 unit boneless skinless chicken breasts — about 6–7 oz each; pound to even thickness if thick
- 2 unit medium tomatoes — sliced into rounds; or use 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella — sliced into rounds
- 0.25 cup fresh basil leaves — torn or left whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil — plus a pinch of salt and black pepper — these pantry staples don't count toward the 5
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Method
- 1 Preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with a little olive oil or cooking spray.
- 2 Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. If any are very thick (over 1 inch), place them between plastic wrap and pound gently to an even thickness so they cook evenly.
- 3 Arrange the chicken in the baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle with the 2 tbsp olive oil and season generously on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- 4 Lay the tomato slices over each chicken breast, overlapping slightly to cover the top. Season the tomatoes with a small pinch of salt.
- 5 Lay the mozzarella slices over the tomatoes, covering as much of the surface as possible.
- 6 Bake uncovered at 425°F for 22–25 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the mozzarella is melted and just beginning to bubble and brown at the edges.
- 7 Remove from the oven and let rest for 3 minutes. Scatter the fresh basil over the top and serve immediately directly from the baking dish.
Variations
- Vegetarian Swap — Replace the chicken with thick slices of eggplant (about 3/4 inch). Salt the eggplant slices for 10 minutes, pat dry, brush with olive oil, and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes before adding the tomato and mozzarella. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the eggplant is tender.
- Faster Weeknight Version — Use thin-sliced chicken cutlets (about 1/2 inch thick) instead of whole breasts — they'll be done in 15 minutes at 425°F, cutting total time to about 20 minutes.
- No Fresh Mozzarella — Low-moisture mozzarella (the block kind, sliced) works fine and melts a little firmer and more golden. Avoid pre-shredded if you can — it tends to dry out in the oven.
Notes
For the best result, use fresh mozzarella (the soft kind packed in water) rather than low-moisture shredded mozzarella — it melts more gently and keeps things creamy. If your chicken breasts are very large (8+ oz), add 3–5 extra minutes of cook time and always verify with a meat thermometer. A drizzle of balsamic glaze over the finished dish is a nice touch if you have it on hand.
Equipment that helps
- 9×13-inch baking dish — Fits four chicken breasts in a single layer so they cook evenly without steaming each other.
- instant-read meat thermometer — Takes the guesswork out of knowing when the chicken is done at 165°F — especially useful since breast size varies so much.
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