This crispy caprese chicken is loaded with so much flavour and couldn’t be easier to make!
This dish truly is the perfect combination of textures and flavours. It’s so vibrant and delicious – I’m confident you’re going to love it. Follow me…
Caprese Salad
This is the type of thing I could eat by the bowl by itself. Typically, a caprese salad is larger slices of tomato and mozzarella, but this is a ‘mini’ version. Perfect for spooning over chicken! The full measurements are in the recipe card below, but just to quickly go over each ingredient:
- Tomatoes – I like to use baby plum tomatoes and quarter them, but you could use cherry tomatoes.
- Mozzarella – I found some mini mozzarella pearls, which are PERFECT size, but you could tear/cut larger bocconcini or whole mozzarella.
- Basil – Lots of fresh basil really brings this salad to life.
- Vinegar – I actually like to use red wine vinegar, just for a contrast to the balsamic glaze we use at the end. You could use balsamic vinegar though.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A classic addition to this salad. I don’t use too much because the chicken is also fried in oil.
- Garlic – This is optional, but a really small amount of garlic gives a nice punch of flavour.
- S&P – Make sure the tomatoes are generously seasoned to really bring them to life.
Marinating the tomatoes
One thing I like to do is dress the tomatoes and let them sit as I get on with the rest of the recipe. This gives a chance for the dressing to really work its magic on the tomatoes and bring them to life. Just 15 minutes or so works great, but you can definitely dress them ahead of time, tightly stored in the fridge.
Crispy Chicken
The crispy chicken is really simple to make; the breading is the classic flour + egg + breadcrumbs. First things first though, we need to pound the chicken
Pounding the chicken
We’re looking to create a nice flat base to spoon the salad on top of. We also want to thin out the chicken so it cooks more evenly and allows the outside to get super crispy. To pound the chicken, just lay over some cling film and use a rolling pin to flatten it. You want it pretty thin, but not so thin it breaks apart. If you look below, that is probably right on the verge of how thin you’ll get it.
Process shots: lay chicken over cling film (photo 1), add more cling film and pound (photos 2&3), dredge through seasoned flour (photo 4), then beaten egg (photo 5), then into seasoned Panko breadcrumbs (photo 6).
Frying the chicken
To end up with the gorgeous, crispy and golden chicken, we are going to be frying it. BUT, it only needs to be shallow-fried in oil, so it’s very straightforward. Just enough oil to comfortably coat the base of the pan.
Once you’ve fried the chicken, I recommend placing it on a wire rack, just to allow any excess oil to drain off. I also like to finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt, just to draw out any final bit of moisture.
Process shots: add chicken to oil (photo 1), fry both sides (photo 2), remove and place on wire rack (photo 3).
How to serve Crispy Caprese Chicken
Once the chicken is done, you can toss the basil and mozzarella with the marinated tomatoes and spoon it all over the chicken. To finish, go in with a good drizzle of balsamic glaze (do not skip this – it’s key!)
I actually just serve this by itself; it’s deceivingly hearty! Check out my Sides if you want something a little extra though.
For more similar recipes check out my Bruschetta Chicken and Burrata Chicken Milanese!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this crispy caprese chicken shall we?!
How to make Crispy Caprese Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Crispy Caprese Chicken
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Cling Film & Rolling Pin or Mallet (for pounding chicken)
- 3 Small Curved Trays or Large Dishes (for dredging chicken)
- Large Pan & Tongs (for frying chicken)
- Wire Rack (for resting chicken)
- Small Bowl & Whisk (for caprese salad)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2x 200g/7oz Chicken Breasts
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 2x Eggs, beaten
- 75g / 1 1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Olive Oil, or as needed
- Flaky Sea Salt, to serve (optional – can sub regular salt)
Caprese Salad
- 200g / 7oz Baby Plum Tomatoes, quartered (smaller ones halved)
- 200g / 7oz Mini Mozzarella Pearls (see notes)
- 1/2 small bunch Fresh Basil, roughly torn/sliced (plus some extra leaves to garnish if desired)
- 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar (see notes)
- 1/2 small clove of Garlic, very finely grated (optional)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- Balsamic Glaze, to serve (homemade or store bought)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss in the tomatoes and leave to marinate as you continue the recipe.
- One by one, lay a chicken breast on a sheet of cling film, then place another sheet on top. Use a rolling pin or mallet to pound the chicken. You want to get it nice and thin (or at least level thickness), but don't go overboard to the point it breaks apart. If you look at the video below, you'll see I took it right to the point it nearly broke apart, so just use that for reference.
- In a small pot or bowl, combine Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Line up 3 small trays or large shallow dishes: the first with the flour + half of the seasoning mixed in, the second with the beaten eggs, then the third with the Panko + the rest of the seasoning mixed in. One by one, take the chicken and carefully coat it in the flour, then the egg and finish in the Panko. Make sure you thoroughly coat the chicken at each stage, namely the Panko.
- Comfortably fill the base of a large pan with the oil, then heat over medium-high heat until a crumb rapidly sizzles (I recommend using a thermometer and getting it to 180C/350F). One by one, fry the chicken for around 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Timings will depend on how thick the chicken is (safe internal temp is 74C/165F for reference). Place on a wire rack and finish with a pinch of salt.
- Toss the basil and mozzarella through the marinated tomatoes until everything is evenly distributed. To serve, spoon the salad over the chicken and finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze (work to preference). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
It’s delish!!
Is this Caprese salad chicken served room temperature or hot?
The chicken is hot and the salad is room temp 🙂 C.