Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan) and pat the chicken breast dry. Make a few shallow cuts in the top so the pesto sticks better.
Spread the green pesto all over the chicken. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into thin slices.
Grease a baking dish with olive oil and put the chicken in it. Tuck the tomatoes and mozzarella onto the meat, slightly overlapping, and season lightly with salt.
Bake the caprese chicken at 200 °C for 20–25 min until the meat is cooked through and the mozzarella has melted. The top may brown slightly.
Take the dish out of the oven and let it rest briefly. That way the meat juices and melted cheese stay in place better.
To serve, sprinkle with fresh basil and put it on plates piping hot.
Good to know
When it needs to be quick but still taste like a proper meal, this oven dish is worth its weight in gold. Juicy, well seasoned and pleasantly light. Exactly the kind of dinner that gets to the table without much effort.
Swaps
Mozzarella → burrata (richer and creamier) | Chicken breast → skinless chicken thigh (often juicier, a little more iron and zinc) | Green pesto → homemade basil and olive oil pesto with parmesan and pine nuts (you control the ingredients, no seed oil) | Tomatoes → roasted peppers (also contain vitamin C and add natural sweetness)
Allergens
Contains milk (mozzarella, usually also in the pesto); pesto often contains pine nuts or tree nuts. Usually suits children if you use little salt, and fine in pregnancy as long as the chicken is cooked through completely and the mozzarella is pasteurised.
