Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken with Tomato and Basil

Chicken for dinner doesn't have to be the same old and it doesn't have to be complicated

either. This simple baked Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken with fresh basil and tomato makes dinner worth repeating! Ready in 30 minutes and packed with flavor-- a Caprese salad right in your chicken!

https://lemonsandzest.com/mozzarella-stuffed-chicken-tomato-basil/

by: Lorie Yarro

Prep Time:   10 Min.  Cook Time: 20 Minutes                     Total Time: 30 Minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients 

·      4 chicken breasts (3 if large in size)

·      4 ½ in. slices fresh mozzarella (log or ball)

·      10-12 basil leaves

·      2 Roma tomatoes

·      2 tsp balsamic

·      2 T olive oil

·      2 Garlic cloves, minced

·      1 tsp Italian seasoning

·      Sea salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Slice tomatoes and chop basil. Add to a small bowl and toss with balsamic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, one garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and garlic (using the other clove) on both sides. Use a sharp knife to cut through the middle of each chicken breast but not all the way through. Gently stuff each piece of chicken with one slice of mozzarella halved. Add the tomato basil mixture and then toothpick each end to hold.

4. Place each chicken breast in a greased baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

5. Allow to rest for several minutes before serving!

Notes

·     When slicing the chicken for stuffing, try to do it so that top and bottom half are of equal thickness. This will ensure that both parts cook at an even rate and one does not dry out.

·     You can make these ahead of time and let them sit in the fridge for the day and then pop them in the oven before dinner. That always helps when it comes to meal time for me!

Recipe Review:

Again, another easy recipe as there are only nine ingredients, with five of them being the main part of the recipe. It’s simple. Cut the tomato and the basil and then put in a bowl and mix with the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning and then cut the chicken, insert the tomato and basil and then cook.

Taste:

Let’s get real shall we. This is caprice chicken. It has all the ingredients of a caprice salad, with the chicken added to it. And to be honest, calling it Caprice chicken sounds better than calling it Mozzarella stuffed chicken. That title is to long. Besides the name, this tasted okay, it had the general flavor of mozzarella with the basil and the tomato, however, there was nothing that stood out about this meal. It was just okay. I’ve had other versions of this, aptly called Caprice Chicken, and they tasted much better than this one did. Marinating the chicken in the vinegar might be one way to make this one better. I’ll have to review my other recpies on this same dish and see what I can come up with when I add my take on this dish