This Hasselback Baked Caprese Chicken is like summer on a plate, made with mozzarella cheese, sliced plum tomatoes and fresh basil.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – sub out olive oil for any neutral oil such as grape seed oil or avocado oil.
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breasts are commonly used for hasselback recipes. I highly recommend sticking with chicken breasts.
- Plum tomatoes – plum tomatoes are firm but juicy making them the best option for this recipe. Heirloom tomatoes, when in season, will also be a great option.
- Bufala mozzarella – any fresh mozzarella or bocconcini cheese that can be sliced into round pieces will work. In a pinch, shredded mozzarella will work also, but won’t be authentic to caprese chicken.
- Fresh basil leaves – fresh basil leaves are recommended for this recipe for the most flavour.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
Balsamic glaze
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- Balsamic vinegar – feel free to use a store-bought balsamic glaze if you don’t have balsamic vinegar on hand.
- Brown sugar – sugar, honey or maple syrup will also thicken the vinegar into a glaze.
How to make this recipe
- Make cuts in the chicken.
- Stuff the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella into the chicken.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Make the balsamic glaze.
- Top chicken with balsamic.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with caprese chicken
This chicken goes with just about any side dish! If you're looking for some side dish inspiration, I've got you covered. Here are some of my favourite ideas:
- Homemade fries (with russet potatoes or sweet potatoes)
- Roasted potato wedges or roasted mini potatoes
- A light side salad with a vinaigrette dressing
- Roasted/steamed veggies of choice
- Your favourite pasta dish
- Garlic bread
Frequently Asked Questions
The term Hasselback describes a cooking method that was traditionally used on potatoes. It involves creating deep slits into potatoes, without cutting all the way through, and creating layers. The reason for this was so that those slits could be stuffed with other ingredients. It began as a technique with the purpose of creating visual interest and added flavour to an ingredient. Hasselback chicken is now very popular because it adds extra flavour to chicken breasts, taking away the stereotype that chicken breasts are “boring”!
Caprese chicken consists of chicken stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves with balsamic glaze drizzled over top.
Hasselback stuffed chicken is super easy to make. Since the slits are horizontal across the top, you don’t have to worry about the stuffed chicken falling open. All you have to do is stick it in the oven to bake for 25 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit – no flipping required.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftover chicken in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just transfer the chicken to a glass meal prep container and allow it to cook down to room temperature before refrigerating.
To reheat the chicken, stick it in the oven for 10-15 minutes. If you're in a rush, you can pop it into the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I recommend sprinkling some water overtop before microwaving to prevent the chicken from drying out.
Freezing this recipe
Hasselback stuffed chicken is great to store in the freezer! You can freeze your chicken either cooked or raw, making it the perfect meal prep dish.
To freeze raw or cooked chicken, make sure to wrap the chicken tightly with plastic wrap to keep the toppings in place and then put the chicken into a meal prep container or freezer bag. When you're ready to enjoy the chicken, cook the raw chicken using the instructions provided in the recipe card or reheat the thawed cooked chicken using the reheating instructions above!
More hasselback chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- You'll need a good knife set to get some good cuts in your chicken breasts.
- Get your square glass meal prep bowls here!
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box!
Hasselback Baked Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 log buffala mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Make deep, wide horizontal cuts across each chicken breast (see video if you're unsure how!) Rub chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Thinly slice tomatoes and mozzarella, then stuff into cuts in each chicken breast, then add basil in each cut. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, bring balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to a boil in a small pot on the stove. Cook for 10-12 minutes on medium heat until mixture has thickened. Set aside.
- Take chicken out of the oven, and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Garnish with extra fresh basil if desired and serve with a salad or side dish. Enjoy!
Sue says
hello! this turned out SO YUMMY! I had a few variations of the listed ingredients, so I will share them here. I used marinated mozz balls from Costco and just sliced them up to fit in the chicken. Same with the grape tomatoes i had on hand. Just sliced everything up and jammed it into the chicken! I also had a premade balsamic glaze that I buy at Cost Plus World Market so I used that instead of making the sauce. Love this! We are going to try your greek hasselback chicken next for the weirdos in my family who won’t eat tomatoes 🙂 Thank you for the great idea!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Sue! Thanks for sharing your variations, sounds so yummy 🙂
Donna says
So good!!!!. I like that it was simple and just different. I”ve put it on my “Chicken Meals” recipe list.
A few things I did:
I made my Glaze first, just so it could set.
I did was place it on my grill outside, but just placing it on foil on a small pan, because I did not want to heat up my kitchen. I folded the edges over the top, but I had a lot of extra foil on the sides so I could do that, and then at the end opened it up so the top or outside “grilled” no I did not turn it over. 🙂
One thing to remember when you are selecting your chicken breast, the thicker they are the better!
I did the thing with chopsticks on either side of the breast when cutting into them so that I would not cut all the way through,
I bought the mozzarella that is already sliced in the log, worked good for me, may not for others. I would have to say next time I make it I’m going to try it with smoked Mozzarella.
Enjoy!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy that you enjoyed, Donna! And thank you so much for your tips 🙂
Brittney says
Made this last night and it was soooo good!! I loved how the basil “bled through” the chicken for amazing flavor in every bite! My husband, his best friend, my 3 young kids and I all enjoyed this recipe! I will definitely adding this to my family’s meal routine!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed 🙂
Antionette says
Amazing and new favorite for me and my family.
Jane says
Amazingly yummy!!!!
Taylor Stinson says
Thank you Jane!!