Stuffed Chicken Caprese

My Stuffed Chicken Caprese takes inspiration from the classic Italian salad, is made in 25 minutes and loaded with mozzarella, sun dried tomato, balsamic dressing and  fresh basil. The ingredients are easily stuffed into a chicken breast, skewered and cooked to tender perfection.

These are perfect for a lunch, served alongside sautéed vegetables for dinner, and are just loaded with the flavors of Italy. Sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil are stuffed inside each chicken breast that gets a basting of a simple balsamic dressing.

I wanted a quick meal and this Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast does the trick. I don’t pound the chicken breast thin and slice. Just keep your hand firmly on top of each chicken breast and gently, with a sharp knife, cut a pocket horizontally.

I use long metal skewers, but tooth picks work just as good to hold everything. Layer the basil, mozzarella slices and sun dried tomato on top of each other and squeeze them in. Secure and in the hot pan they go to sauté.

Be careful not to cut through and cut a hole or the cheese will melt completely out.

Although crispy, cooked cheese is so darn good so who cares, right? It will ooze a bit anyways while cooking and the browned up bits of crunchy cheese are too good.

These are super succulent and tender. The sun dried tomato and fresh basil too good on the tongue, but the balsamic dressing that’s slathered inside and out makes for a wonderful flavor profile.

Pan seared and then roasted in the oven, all in the same pan, makes this a quick and easy meal.

No long marinating and the mozzarella cheese keeps things moist and tender on the inside, and gives you crispy on the outside edges. Enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Caprese

An all-in-one power packed flavor meal, this Stuffed Chicken Caprese takes it's inspiration from the classic Italian salad and is made in 25 minutes.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 608kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless (See Note 1)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tsp olive oil separated
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sugar
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp each salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomato cut into strips
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese See Note 2
• 8 leaves fresh basil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together the mustard, 2 teaspoons of oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, oregano and salt an pepper in a bowl. This will emulsify and be thick and paste like.
• Rinse and pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, horizontally cut a pocket into each chicken breast, be careful not to cut all the way through.
• Brush the chicken inside and out with the balsamic dressing.
• Place on work surface and layer each breast with 4 basil leaves, the mozzarella cheese slice and top with sun dried tomato. Secure using toothpick or skewer on the diagonal.
  
• Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil in an ovenproof skillet (I use cast iron) over high heat. Carefully add the chicken and sauté for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden.
• Transfer skillet with chicken to oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken is cooked through. Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. Garnish with torn basil leaves and serve along sautéed vegetables.

Notes

1. I do not pound the chicken breast thin and slice. Keep hand firmly on top of chicken breast and gently with sharp knife cut pocket horizontally. Be careful not to cut through or cut a hole or cheese will melt through.
2. I cut each slice of mozzarella 1/4 inch thick each, about 4 ounces total.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.8g | Protein: 50.9g | Fat: 39.8g | Saturated Fat: 14.8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 161.7mg | Sodium: 635.7mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 7.1g

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