Hello, my name is Becky and I am addicted to stuffed chicken breasts! LOL 🙂 Recently there has been the Chicken Parmesan Roll-Ups & Parmesan Herb Stuffed Chicken that were amazing! I mean that I love how flavorful stuffed chicken breasts can be…add a few fresh ingredients (in this case fresh mozzarella cheese and basil and an amazing fresh chunky balsamic tomato sauce) and BAM you have an amazing HEALTHY meal that can be worthy of a date night! For those of you who are thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day 🙂 Stuffed Chicken Caprese has all the yummy flavors of a caprese salad stuffed in a chicken breast. Serve alone with a green veggie for an awesome low carb meal! Or add a high quality starch, like brown rice or quinoa to bump up the healthy carbs and fiber.
- 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (slice 4,1 oz slices from an 4 oz ball)
- 16 large, fresh basil leaves
- toothpicks
- ½ cup liquid egg whites
- 1 cup whole wheat or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provences or italian seasoning
- 10 oz package cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon high quality balsamic vinegar
- Sea or Pink Himalayan Salt & Cracked black pepper to taste.
- Butterfly chicken breasts. Place butterflied chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or small skillet to approximately ¼ inch thickness.
- Place chicken breasts in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag and add olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest. Seal bag tightly. Shake and massage the bag to coat chicken breast in the marinate. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray at 9 x 14 inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- After the chicken has marinated, take the breasts out of the bag and throw out the remaining marinate.
- For each chicken breast, add the slice of mozzarella and 4 basil leaves on one side of the breast. Fold the other side over (the mozzarella and basil will be inside the chicken now) and seal tightly with toothpicks.
- Pour egg whites into a medium sized bowl. In another medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, parmesan and herbs de provences or italian seasoning.
- Dredge each stuffed chicken breast in the egg whites and then the breadcrumb mixture coating throughly and place in baking dish. (Be careful not to loose any of the filling).
- Place breaded chicken on the lower rack in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour onto the prepared cookie sheet. Place into oven along with the chicken but on the top rack.
- Keep a close eye on the tomatoes as they will actually burst when they are cooked through (approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the tomatoes). At this point remove them from the oven and pour tomatoes, balsamic and remaining juices in a medium sauce pan. Mash with a potato masher to create a sauce, keep warm over low heat.
- When the chicken is cooked through, place under the broiler to brown the breadcrumb mixture (careful...this happens very quickly).
- Serve chicken over brown rice, quinoa. Chicken could also be served alone for a low-carb meal. Add steamed green beans or other green veggie to round out the meal.
Inspired by The Cozy Apron.
MMMMM…stuffed chicken breasts 🙂 See the ooozy cheese and fresh basil? Yum!
Wanna bite?
This looks amazing! Def gonna try this 🙂
Thank you!!! And please let me know when you do! I would love any and all feedback 🙂