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Chicken Caprese Salad
There are few appetizers I love more than a good Caprese salad – the medley of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil just makes my mouth water! This recipe is a fun twist on this classic but adds a few more veggies and protein so you can serve this as a main dish.
This salad is crazy easy to throw together and even includes a homemade dressing that makes this dish POP.
You can serve this with a nice loaf of French bread and have a complete family meal, or be the honorary guest of honor at your next potluck or BBQ and bring this to the table!
Here's how to make this delicious caprese salad with chicken.
🍴MENU PLANNING TIP: This salad recipe is from our Summer Menu Planning Made Easy set!
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Brown sugar
- Mined garlic
- Dried basil
- Salt
For the salad:
- Chicken thighs
- Romaine lettuce
- Avocados
- Grape tomatoes
- Mini fresh mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil
Love caprese? Try thisyummy Caprese Chicken Skillet from our Low Cal box!
How to make caprese salad with chicken
Start by preparing your dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients to combine.
Then, place your chicken in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag and add about four tablespoons of the dressing to coat the chicken well.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Cook chicken thighs on each side until they're crispy and cooked completely. Allow the chicken to rest a bit before adding to the salad. Note: don't slice your chicken right away. Let it sit for about ten minutes before slicing so you keep all those good juices.
Meanwhile, add chopped Romaine lettuce to a large bowl. Then, add sliced avocado, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and sliced chicken. Top with sliced fresh basil (don't skip the fresh basil – it's totally necessary for that amazing caprese taste!), and drizzle with homemade dressing to finish it off. Toss everything together and enjoy!
Chicken Caprese Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- 4 tsps brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsps dried basil
- 2 tsps salt
Salad
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 avocados, pitted and sliced
- 1 ½ cups sliced grape tomatoes
- ¾ cup fresh mini mozzarella cheese balls (BelGioioso mozzarella snacking cheese)
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients together to combine. Place chicken in a shallow dish, and pour 4 tablespoons dressing over chicken; coat well. Reserve remaining dressing for salad.
- Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat to medium-high heat. Sear chicken thighs on each side until crispy and cooked through. Allow chicken to rest while preparing the salad.
- In a large bowl, add lettuce. Top with avocado slices, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and sliced chicken. Top with basil slices; drizzle with remaining dressing Salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
- Toss to serve.
Nutrition
Homemade Caprese Salad Dressing
While you absolutely can use a premade balsamic vinegar salad dressing for this recipe, I highly recommend this easy, homemade version. The brown sugar adds just enough sweetness to cut the acidity of the vinegar and the end result is fabulous!
Plus, this mixture is designed to be able to cook with the chicken AND atop the salad – you can't beat this combo.
Looking for more yummy meals? This recipe is from week seven of our summer menu plans, including this meal + 59 other AMAZING recipes (and 12 desserts too)! You'll also get lifetime membership in our private Facebook group, full of other families encouraging one another to make dinner each night together too.
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