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Slow Cooker Chicken Caprese is an easy, healthy dinner recipe for a perfect meal as the weather warms up. Enjoy all the flavors of the classic salad tonight and let the crock pot do all the work!!
Down here in the south the weather is warming up and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to slave over a hot stove or turn on the oven and heat up my house anymore than it already is, so my slow cooker is making it’s return to duty!
I am so excited for the warmer weather, but I was hoping for a little more spring before we dive into summer-like temperatures head first!! The weather here is now in the upper 80’s, but at least the humidity hasn’t been too bad…yet (I know it is coming). We were ok when the temps were in the lower 80’s just keeping the house open since it cooled off nicely in the evening. But we finally had to break down last week and turn on the air conditioning 🙁 This frugal gal hates to do it, but when it was still 86 in the house at 8 pm, I had to break down and turn it on. The $75 electric bill for this month (yay!!) won’t be happening again any time soon 🙁
After we got back from Disney this past weekend, I needed a nice and easy dinner to get us back on track. The basil that we planted has been flourishing, and I wanted to use some of it before it flowers and that got me craving a caprese salad! I also made some fresh pesto (click HERE to learn how to make your own fresh pesto and freeze it for later use). Yes, we have a lot of basil right now 😉
My Slow Cooker Chicken Caprese combines garden-fresh tomatoes & basil, balsamic vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil and fresh mozzarella cheese with lean boneless, skinless chicken breasts for all the flavors of the classic salad in a delish chicken dish…YUM! The tomatoes didn’t come from my garden…I have some baby green tomatoes but they still need some time. A local farmer brings his produce to town each week and mom’s office is one of his stops. She grabbed some gorgeous tomatoes for me and I couldn’t wait to try them in this recipe!
You’re gonna want to try this one folks! You gotta love that you just take 10 minutes in the morning to throw all the ingredients in your slow cooker and you come home to a yummy and healthy meal for your family. No hot stove or oven needed…just our old pal Mr. Slow Cooker (this is the one that we have and love: http://amzn.to/26IfoTS) 🙂
Here is your recipe and nutritional information for Slow Cooker Chicken Caprese:
- 1 large, yellow onion, sliced
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
- Place a slow cooker liner in the bowl of your slow cooker or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add sliced onions and garlic to the bowl and then cover with chicken breasts.
- Add chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crushed red pepper (if using), salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred chicken (it should literally fall apart), add basil and top with grated mozzarella cheese. Turn slow cooker on high and cover until the cheese has melted.
- Serve with brown rice, quinoa or whole grain pasta. Or for a lower carb meal, serve alone.
