Caprese stuffed chicken with garlicky tomato balsamic reduction
This dish doesn't require a lot of skill to make, but it's a bit time consuming, especially if you're making a lot of it. But it's packed with flavor and pretty impressive to look at. Serve with garlic bread to sop up any extra tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 boneless chicken breasts (one per person)
- large bunch of basil, stems removed
- 2 lbs mozzarella in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
- 2-3 pints cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes, halved or sliced
- salt and pepper
- olive oil for cooking
- 8-10 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
For the balsamic reduction (sorry, the proportions are just whatever you like)
- the leftover oil you cooked the chicken in. Pour off some if it seems like too much.
- balsamic vinegar
- whatever tomatoes are left
- 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced or minced
Instructions
The chicken:
-
Trim the fat off the chicken, dry it, and slice a pocket into each breast, not cutting all the way through.
Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper
Stuff a slice or two of cheese, a few basil leaves, and 3 tomato halves or slices into each breast.
Try to pull the edges together to enclose the stuffing. You can secure it with a few toothpicks, but don't forget to warn people!
Preheat the oven to 400.
Heat up the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic until it's slightly browned.
Add the chicken, a few breasts at a time, leaving plenty of room, and brown them lightly on both sides, turning carefully. They won't be cooked all the way through. It's great if some garlic sticks to the chicken!
Transfer the chicken to an oven pan and cook for about 20 minutes until they're cooked all the way through. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes if necessary to brown up the tops.
For the balsamic reduction, to spoon over the chicken:
-
While the chicken is in the oven, continue cooking the oil and garlic that you cooked the chicken in, adding more garlic if you like, and simmer for a while until you stop worrying about food poisoning. Then add several glugs of balsamic vinegar and the rest of the tomatoes, and simmer until the vinegar reduces and the tomatoes fall apart and darken. Scrape the pan to incorporate the browned bits of garlic. Serve this over the cooked chicken. Comes out very sweet.
Serve with garlic bread with any extra balsamic tomato sauce
Recipe Notes
12 boneless chicken breasts
large bunch of basil
2 lbs mozzarella, sliced
salt and pepper
olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
2-3 pints cherry tomatoes (or other tomatoes)
for the sauce:
more garlic if desired
balsamic vinegar
the rest of the tomatoes
Trim the fat off the chicken, dry it, and slice a pocket into each breast, not cutting all the way through.
Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper
Stuff a slice or two of cheese, a few basil leaves, and 3 tomato halves or slices into each breast.
Try to pull the edges together to enclose the stuffing. You can secure it with a few toothpicks, but don't forget to warn people!
Preheat the oven to 400.
Heat up the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic until it's slightly browned.
Add the chicken, a few breasts at a time, leaving plenty of room, and brown them lightly on both sides, turning carefully. They won't be cooked all the way through. It's fine if some garlic sticks to the chicken!
Transfer the chicken to an oven pan and cook for about 20 minutes until they're cooked all the way through. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes if necessary to brown up the tops.
While it's cooking, continue cooking the oil and garlic that you cooked the chicken in, adding more garlic if you like, and simmer for a while until you stop worrying about food poisoning. Then add several glugs of balsamic vinegar and the rest of the tomatoes, and simmer until the vinegar reduces and the tomatoes fall apart and darken. Scrape the pan to incorporate the browned bits of garlic. Serve this over the cooked chicken. Comes out very sweet.
Serve with garlic bread with any extra balsamic tomato sauce