My last foil bake for the week was chicken caprese. If I see caprese on an appetizer menu, I usually select it. If you are not familiar with caprese, it is a salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and sometimes a vinegar. It is really good. Usually the fresher the mozzarella, the better. I decided to try caprese in a foil bake.
I think it came out great. It was another quick meal without fuss. I could have cooked the chicken on the skillet a bit to give it a nice golden color but that would have been an extra step. I did add some pasta and sauce because I wanted to make it more of a meal but it is totally optional. My kids loved the pasta. As soon as I set the food down, noodles and sauce started flying.
Ingredients:
– 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
– 8 oz sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
– 1/2 tbs Italian seasoning
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 1 onion, sliced
– 1 bell pepper, sliced
– 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
– 1 tbs butter
– 1 tbs olive oil
– 1/4 cup of fresh basil
– angel hair pasta and sauce, optional
1. Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the butter, olive oil, Italian seasonings and salt and pepper. When thoroughly combined, add the chicken, onions, tomatoes and peppers. Mix until everything is coated with the butter/olive oil/seasoning mixture.
3. Lay out (4) 16-inch long pieces of foil and divide the ingredients evenly in the center of the foil. Wrap the foil tightly so there are no holes. If you have to, add another piece of foil on top to ensure the moisture remains in the packet.
4. Place the foil packets on a foil lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until everything is cooked through.
5. Open the packets and add the cheese. Add the packet back to the stove for an additional minute to melt the cheese.
6. When the cheese is melted garnish with basil and vinegar.
7. You can complete the meal with pasta and sauce as an option.
Dinner Strategies 