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 – use store-bought or make your own with balsamic and brown sugar.
Balsamic marinade
- Olive oil – sub out olive oil for any neutral oil such as grape seed oil or avocado oil.
- Balsamic vinegar – feel free to use a store-bought balsamic glaze if you don’t have balsamic vinegar on hand.
- Maple syrup – brown sugar or honey will also thicken the vinegar into a glaze.
- Dijon mustard –stone-ground mustard will provide a similar (but milder) flavour.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
Side salad
- Arugula – baby spinach, mustard greens, watercress, baby kale or mixed greens would also work.
- Cucumber – feel free to use another vegetable you like instead or in addition to the cucumber.
- Red onion – if you’re not a fan of red onions, feel free to use shallots or leave them out entirely.
How to make this recipe
- Slice tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.
- Marinate chicken in balsamic marinade.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes then cut slits in the chicken.
- Stuff the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella into the chicken.
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:
- A light side salad (as shown in the recipe card)
- Homemade fries (with russet potatoes or sweet potatoes)
- Roasted potato wedges or roasted mini potatoes
- 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 marinaded in a balsamic marinade and stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
Hasselback stuffed chicken is super easy to make. This recipe has you bake the chicken first and then stuff it so you don’t have to worry about the stuffed chicken falling open.
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!
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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
- 4 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced and cut in half
- 1 log buffala mozzarella, thinly sliced and cut in half
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- Balsamic glaze to serve
Marinade/dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Side dish
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F or preheat BBQ to med-high. Mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Divide this mixture in half; one half is for the chicken marinade, the other half is to be used as dressing for the arugula side salad. Be sure to do this before handling raw chicken to avoid cross contamination; the salad dressing should never come into contact with the chicken.
- Marinate chicken for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 days. When ready to cook, bake for 20-25 minutes or grill for 15-20 minutes. Time will depend on the size of your breasts; internal temperature should reach 165 F.
- While chicken is cooking, thinly slice tomatoes and mozzarella, cutting each in half. Also prepare side salad by mixing arugula, cucumber and red onion together.
- Remove chicken from the oven/grill when fully cooked. Cut wide, deep slits into chicken, then stuff sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in each chicken breast. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, then serve with salad tossed in remaining dressing on the side and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
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!!