This is our favorite summer pasta dish, perfect for a Sunday night dinner al fresco or for a special occasion with friends. Light yet packed with flavor, not to mention gorgeous visually, you will impress yourself with this delicious Caprese Chicken with Pesto Pasta meal.
The Dual Pesto Factor
I tried several variations of this recipe before arriving at my most preferred version with the pesto on the chicken as well as the pasta. You can marinate the chicken in the pesto hours in advance or just while you are making the rest of the meal. The pesto pasta adds another layer of flavor to this dish, that I love.
Caprese Chicken with Pesto Pasta Ingredients
What you will need for this recipe is: 4 chicken breasts, fat trimmed, cut into 2 pieces if large breasts; 4 TBS of your favorite jarred (or homemade) pesto; 2 TBS butter; 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 4 TBS fresh basil; 1 1/2 – 2 TBS balsamic vinegar; balsamic glaze / reduction (we love the Trader Joe’s balsamic glaze) ; 4 – 6 oz fresh mozzarella, patted dry and sliced; one box of medium shell pasta.
The How To
Marinating the Chicken
An option for increasing flavor is to pound your chicken, prior to marinating. To do this, first place chicken breasts 
individually in a ziplock bag or wrap in plastic wrap and pound flat. This allows the flavor to better infiltrate the meat, and this technique will cook the chicken a little faster.
Then, place all chicken into a bowl for marinating, and add 2 TBS pesto and 2 TBS olive oil. Lastly, stir to mix together and set aside.
Prepping the Tomatoes and Basil
While chicken marinates, you can prepare the other ingredients.
First, wash & cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half. Next, rinse basil, pat dry, and then cut in long strips. To do this, I stack the basil leaves on top of each other, maybe 5 or 6 at a time, roll lengthwise, then slice so they turn out to be long slivers of basil. Although you can chop it however you’d like, I prefer this method for the visual appeal.
Cooking the Chicken and Pasta
Next, put 2 TBS olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear, approximately 2- 3 minutes per side. It does not need to be cooked all the way through at this point.
Then, add in the halved tomatoes and allow to simmer until the tomatoes are a bit cooked and shriveled. Continue to stir them, about 4 – 5 minutes. Gradually add the 2 TBS balsamic vinegar (not the balsamic glaze just yet). Allow the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes to combine, while continuing to let the chicken cook through. Keep in mind, the cook time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. You can monitor with a meat thermometer throughout.
While the chicken is cooking, boil the water for the pasta, and then cook the pasta according to package directions.
Adding Mozzarella
Once the balsamic has reduced and tomatoes are looking soft, add a slice of fresh mozzarella to each chicken. Next, grind fresh salt and pepper over the top of the mozzarella. Sprinkle basil over the top. Then, lightly drizzle some balsamic glaze over the top of each chicken breast / mozzarella. Finally, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Chicken should be 165 degrees internal temperature before serving.
Pesto Pasta Instructions
Cook the pasta and drain in a colander. Then, place 2 TBS butter in the pasta pot and let melt slowly in the hot pan. Add the pasta back to the pot. Finally, add 2 TBS pesto and mix together.
Serve the chicken over the pasta with tomatoes, and ENJOY!
Chef’s Tips and Options for Caprese Chicken and Pesto Pasta:
- Flatten your chicken prior to marinating: This step is not necessary but can increase the flavor of your chicken and decrease cooking time. To do this, simply place one chicken breast at a time in a ziplock bag or wrap in plastic wrap and pound flat.
- Many pastas work with this recipe, although we prefer the medium shells pictured here.
Caprese Chicken with Pesto Pasta
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, fat trimmed, cut into 2 pieces if large breasts
4 TBS of your favorite jarred (or homemade) pesto
one box preferred pasta (medium shells work best)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 TBS fresh basil
1 1/2 – 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
balsamic glaze / reduction
4 – 6 oz fresh mozzarella, patted dry and sliced
Instructions
Optional: Place chicken in a ziplock bag or wrap in plastic wrap and pound flat. This allows the flavor to better infiltrate the meat, and cooks the chicken a little faster.
- Place all chicken into a bowl for marinating. Add 2 TBS pesto and 2 TBS olive oil. Stir to mix together and set aside.
- While chicken marinates, prepare other ingredients:
- Wash & cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half.
- Rinse basil, pat dry, and then cut in long strips. To do this, I stack the basil leaves on top of each other, maybe 5 or 6 at a time, roll lengthwise, then slice so they turn out to be long slivers of basil. Not necessary, but it looks pretty and I find it easier than chopping basil.
- Put 2 TBS olive oil in a pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear, approximately 2- 3 minutes per side. It does not need to be cooked all the way through at this point.
- Add in the halved tomatoes and allow to simmer until the tomatoes are a bit cooked and shriveled. Continue to stir them, about 4 – 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, boil the water for the pasta, and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Add the 2 TBS balsamic vinegar (not the balsamic glaze just yet). Let the balsamic and tomatoes cook and mix together.
- Once the balsamic has reduced and tomatoes are looking soft. Add a slice of fresh mozzarella to each chicken.
- Next, grind fresh salt and pepper over the top of the mozzarella. Sprinkle basil over the top. Lightly drizzle some balsamic glaze over the top of each chicken breast / mozzarella.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Chicken should be 165 degrees internal temperature before serving.
Pasta instructions:
- While chicken is cooking, cook pasta to package directions and drain in a colander.
- Place 2 TBS butter in the pasta pot and let melt slowly in the hot pan.
- Add the pasta back to the pot. Add 2 TBS pesto and mix together.
Serve the chicken over the pasta with tomatoes, and ENJOY!
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30
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