So we are continuing on in my obsession for all things Caprese. I just can’t seem to get enough!! Let’s recap shall we? I have Open Faced Chicken Caprese Sandwiches, Caprese Meatball Subs, Chicken Caprese Pasta, and now these Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Trust me I wont be stopping any time soon either because they just keep getting better and better!
This all began a couple of years ago when I decided I liked tomatoes. You see as a kid my Mom forced me to eat them and they just made me gag. I couldn’t stand what I referred to as “tomato snot” (gross I know but that shows you how much I hated them). Once I started cooking with them I always made sure to seed them. But somehow, as if by magic, I began enjoying the flavor of a raw tomato.
I think it began when I started getting a flat bread at our local pizza place. It had fresh mozzarella balls, and fresh grape tomato halves, all drizzled with a fabulous balsamic vinegar reduction. Oh my goodness so good! Then I started eating one of their salads (that I keep swearing I will figure out how to make at home) that had several ingredients, one being fresh grape tomatoes.
Of course grape tomatoes are great because they contain very little uummm shall we call it “goo” to make it sound better? But I began trying tomato on everything. Now I love a nice slice of fresh tomato on my sandwiches, diced tomatoes on my tacos and gyros, etc….I just can’t seem to get enough of them. So when I tried my first Caprese salad I was hooked! I just had to make it in as many different ways as possible. This was one of those ways. Like I said, they keep coming out better and better so I wont be stopping anytime soon!
I know the basil doesn’t look as pretty as I would have liked it to. You could try to place it inside after you cook the chicken. But it only hurts the appearance, not the flavor. I also used very thick slices of cheese and tomato, so you could make them smaller if you like. I just wanted as much of everything as possible!!
Do you have any foods that you are obsessed with like me?
Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
recipe serves 2
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 thick slices of fresh mozzarella
4 thick slices of vine ripened tomato
6 to 8 large basil leaves
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
Combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Beat the egg in another shallow dish.
Slice the chicken breasts horizontally, leaving one edge attached and open like a book. Cover with plastic wrap, or place inside a plastic storage bag, and flatten them out with a meat mallet or heavy flat bottomed skillet. You want them about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the plastic and salt and pepper the inside of the chicken breasts and place two slices of cheese, 2 slices of tomato, and 3 to 4 basil leaves inside. Close the chicken breast and secure with toothpicks.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Roll the chicken breasts in the egg wash and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast in the skillet, cheese side down, and cook until the bottom begins to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Carefully turn the breasts and finish cooking on the other side. Remove from heat. Place on an oven safe plate in a warm oven if you are making more than two breasts.
Carefully remove the toothpicks and serve.
ENJOY!!
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