This chicken caprese is a fresh, flavorful dinner made with juicy chicken, ripe tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and basil all finished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. We love to use the grill but you can also bake in the oven or fry in a pan. Bonus points for being a quick and healthy chicken recipe!
It’s everything you love about a classic caprese salad, turned into an easy, satisfying main dish. Whether you grill it, bake it, or cook it in a skillet, this caprese chicken recipe comes together quickly and feels just a little bit elevated without any extra effort.
What is Chicken Caprese?
Chicken caprese is a simple dish inspired by the classic Italian caprese salad, made with chicken, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic glaze.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Caprese
- Hands-on prep time is less than 30 minutes
- Fresh, simple ingredients
- Naturally low-carb (8g) and high-protein (61g)
- Works on the grill, stovetop, or oven
- Perfect for weeknights or entertaining
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Breasts: the juicy, protein-packed base
- Tomatoes: fresh and vibrant
- Fresh Mozzarella: creamy and melty
- Fresh Basil: adds bright, herby flavor
- Balsamic Glaze: sweet and tangy finish
- Olive Oil + Seasonings: simple flavor builders
👉 Optional (but highly recommended!): balsamic marinade for extra flavor (see below)
How to Make Chicken Caprese
- Prepare the chicken: Season (or marinate) the chicken breasts.
- Cook the chicken: Grill, bake, or pan-sear until fully cooked (see section below for instructions for each).
- Add toppings: Top each piece with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes.
- Melt the cheese: Let the mozzarella melt slightly in the broiler.
- Finish and serve: Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately while warm and melty.
👉 Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally.
Ways to Cook Chicken Caprese
Grilled Chicken Caprese – Adds smoky flavor and is perfect for summer.
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat, then add the chicken and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 6-7 minutes per side depending on thickness.
Baked Chicken Caprese – Easy, hands-off and great for weeknights.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Place the chicken in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes uncovered, or until chicken reaches 165°F internally.
This Easy Pesto Asparagus Quinoa Recipe is a fresh, vibrant dish packed with creamy pesto, tender asparagus, fluffy quinoa, and melty cheese all baked to bubbly perfection. It’s a wholesome, one-pan wonder that’s bursting with flavor and ready in no time!
This one skillet pesto asparagus quinoa recipe is one of our favorite healthy dinners that takes hardly any work on your part. Vibrant basil pesto is the perfect addition to take simple quinoa to spectacularly delicious! We are using vegetable broth to cook the quinoa too which makes this a scrumptious vegetarian recipe!
Casseroles have always done well here at Oh Sweet Basil! They are family friendly and usually easy on the budget. We will forever loooove our teriyaki chicken casserole and of course, my mom’s busy day casserole. But this asparagus pesto quinoa casserole is probably our most healthy casserole, so everyone needs to try it!
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa is a flowering plant with edible seeds. Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids.
It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants.
Quinoa is often used as an alternative for grains such as rice. In fact, we transformed our popular cilantro lime rice into cilantro lime quinoa. It’s fabulous!
What is Needed to Make Pesto Quinoa with Asparagus?
You only need one skillet and a few simple ingredients to make this easy weeknight dinner recipe! Here is everything you’ll need:
- Olive Oil: Helps cook the asparagus and tomatoes.
- Asparagus: Trim the spears and chop them into 1-2″ pieces.
- Sea Salt: Amplifies the flavor of the dish.
- Grape Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes also work great.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adds extra flavor to the dish.
- Quinoa: Any type of quinoa works great in this recipe. We used white quinoa this time.
- Vegetable Broth: Adds more flavor than just using water. It can be substituted with chicken broth if desired.
- Pesto: You can make your own from scratch or buy a bottle at the grocery store.
- Mozzarella Cheese: I prefer to buy a block and grate it myself so the best gooey meltiness.
- Basil Leaves<
This Southern Tomato Pie is what you make when dinner feels impossible but you still want something special—something that says “home.” Juicy summer tomatoes, 3 kinds of cheese, and fresh basil all tucked into a homemade flaky crust that tastes like comfort on a plate.
Watch How to Make This Southern Tomato Pie Recipe
If there was one recipe that totally caught me by surprise it would be this one! Even kids love, love, love this tomato pie! Think margherita pizza meets pie and that’s what you get here! All the flavors of homemade pizza but in the form of a savory pie. I find that it’s best made with farm fresh tomatoes as they pack in so much more flavor and remind me of the rows and rows of beautiful, shiny red globes of tomatoes planted along the perimeter of Mom and Dad’s garden. It’s fresh and tasty with a flaky crust, what more could you want?!
Southern Tomato Pie Ingredients
This easy tomato pie recipe features a homemade crust and a cheesy tomato filling. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
For the Crust
- Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
- Sugar: Helps balance out the flavor of the crust.
- Salt: Adds flavor to the crust.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so that the crust doesn’t become too salty. Butter gives the crust its rich flavor and flaky texture.
- Ice Water: Helps bind all the ingredients together while keeping the butter and shortening cold so the crust is extra flaky.
For the Filling
- Fresh Tomatoes: Vine ripe tomatoes are my favorite for this recipe. Roma tomatoes also work great!
- Cheeses: Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Cheddar
- Herbs and Spices: Salt, Garlic Powder, Oregano, Black Pepper and Fresh Basil Leaves (store-bought or fresh from the garden)
- Mayonnaise: Duke’s is our preferred brand but you can use any mayo you want!
The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
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This Easy Pesto Asparagus Quinoa Recipe is a fresh, vibrant dish packed with creamy pesto, tender asparagus, fluffy quinoa, and melty cheese — all baked to bubbly perfection. It’s a wholesome, one-pan wonder that’s bursting with flavor and ready in no time!
This one skillet pesto asparagus quinoa recipe is one of our favorite healthy dinners that takes hardly any work on your part. Vibrant basil pesto is the perfect addition to take simple quinoa to spectacularly delicious! We are using vegetable broth to cook the quinoa too which makes this a scrumptious vegetarian recipe!
Casseroles have always done well here at Oh Sweet Basil! They are family friendly and usually easy on the budget. We will forever loooove our teriyaki chicken casserole and of course, my mom’s busy day casserole. But this asparagus pesto quinoa casserole is probably our most healthy casserole, so everyone needs to try it!
What is Quinoa?
Quinoa is a flowering plant with edible seeds. Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids.
It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants.
Quinoa is often used as an alternative for grains such as rice. In fact, we transformed our popular cilantro lime rice into cilantro lime quinoa. It’s fabulous!
What is Needed to Make Pesto Quinoa with Asparagus?
You only need one skillet and a few simple ingredients to make this easy weeknight dinner recipe! Here is everything you’ll need:
- Olive Oil: Helps cook the asparagus and tomatoes.
- Asparagus: Trim the spears and chop them into 1-2″ pieces.
- Sea Salt: Amplifies the flavor of the dish.
- Grape Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes also work great.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adds extra flavor to the dish.
- Quinoa: Any type of quinoa works great in this recipe. We used white quinoa this time.
- Vegetable Broth: Adds more flavor than just using water. It can be substituted with chicken broth if desired.
- Pesto: You can make your own from scratch or buy a bottle at the grocery store.
- Mozzarella Chees
Fragrant garlic, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes are sauteed in butter and then tossed with fresh lemon juice and tender pasta to create the Lemon Butter Pasta of which dreams are made.
And before the mushroom haters comment, yes, you can skip them. However, they really are delicious in this recipe, I recommend giving them a chance before ruling them out!
Lemon Butter Pasta
I’ve been making this pasta for company, for myself, for family and friends for almost 25 years now. This is the first recipe I think of when I am craving pasta.
My husband enjoys this with some grilled chicken added to it, but I’m quite happy with this pasta alone most of the time.
When we were first married, I often made this pasta just for myself on weekends when Sean was out of town.
Lemon Butter Pasta Recipe
Lemon, butter, and garlic are an awesome combination in pretty much any recipe, aren’t they? They truly shine in this sauce along with the mushrooms and tomatoes.
This lemony sauce coats the thin angel hair pasta perfectly and it’s a terrific match for Last Minute Chicken or Crispy Oven Baked Chicken. Chicken is my go-to option with this pasta.
However, Garlic Butter Steak Bites or Pine Nut Crusted Halibut are a couple more delicious ways to serve this meal.
Nowadays, when I make this, I double the recipe and cross my fingers for leftovers for my lunch the next day. I̵