Chicken caprese skillet
20 min · 44 g protein · 362 cals / serving
Golden chicken cutlets under melting fresh mozzarella, with cherry tomatoes blistered in the same pan until they burst and a tangle of spinach wilted in the juices. Torn basil and a drizzle of balsamic go on at the end. Caprese salad as a hot one-pan dinner in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb chicken breast, 4 thin-sliced cutlets, about 1 cm (3/8 inch); if you halve 2 large breasts, press them to that thickness
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 5 cups baby spinach
- 5 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced, or mini mozzarella balls
- 1/4 cup leaves fresh basil, torn
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Steps
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with the salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder.
- Heat the oil in a large lidded skillet (30 cm / 12 inch) over medium-high heat. Lay the 4 cutlets in one layer and cook 3–4 minutes, until golden underneath, then turn them over.
- Scatter the garlic and tomatoes into the space around the chicken and cook 3 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blister. Pile the spinach on top of the tomatoes and let it wilt into the juices, turning it once.
- Lay the mozzarella over the chicken, cover the pan and cook 2–3 minutes over medium heat, until the cheese melts and the chicken is 165°F inside.
- Off the heat, scatter the basil, drizzle the balsamic over and serve from the pan, with the tomatoes and spinach spooned alongside. Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently, covered, at half power (the cheese firms up and the tomatoes soften, which is fine on the next day's plate).
Good to know
Can I use balsamic glaze?
A thin drizzle of glaze looks lovely, but most glazes are thickened with sugar; a tablespoon of plain balsamic reduced for 30 seconds in the hot pan after the chicken comes out gives the same tang.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, at about 59 instead of 70. Give boneless thighs 5 minutes before turning and a minute longer under the lid.
Per
- Calories
- 140
- Protein
- (51%)
- 17 g
- Fat
- (42%)
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- (7%)
- 3 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 307 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1448 kcal goes into the pot and 1253 g of ingredients comes out as about 1036 g of food: 140 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.