Is chicken Caprese keto friendly? You bet! Learn how to make keto Caprese chicken breast, a one-pan meal with 7 grams net carbs! You only need 5 ingredients to make this easy chicken Caprese. This healthy chicken recipe, packed with tender, juicy chicken breasts and melty cheese, is hard to resist! The whole family will love the Italian flavors in low carb Caprese chicken.
This baked balsamic Caprese chicken is a spin on the classic Caprese salad that packs in the protein! We’re layering pesto, fresh mozzarella, and sliced heirloom tomatoes on top of chicken breasts. After a quick pop in the oven (and some optional garnishes) dinner will be served.
I just know this is going to be your new favorite weeknight dinner idea. The portions are generous and it’s so very delicious. The Mediterranean flavors can’t be beat.
If you’re on a very low carb diet, you’ll love the macros of this keto balsamic chicken. You’re getting over 70 grams of protein with only 7 grams of net carbs per serving.
Whether you’re using keto to lose weight or for better blood sugar control in diabetes, this is the recipe for you. Oh, and did I mention it’s a one skillet meal (err... well, one baking dish). Let’s minimize clean up!
Rotisserie chicken is a great to include in healthy dinner recipes, but plain chicken can get boring night after night. Let’s add some pizazz to supper and learn how to make Caprese chicken!
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📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of keto chicken Caprese has 663 calories, 7.3 grams net carbs, and 74.3 grams protein. This nutrition information does not include the optional balsamic drizzle and fresh basil garnish.
⭐ Benefits
Why make low carb Caprese chicken? Here are a few reasons to try this recipe:
- Protein: If you want a high protein main course, this recipe will likely fit your macros. Chicken is rich in high-quality protein as well as an assortment of B vitamins, such as niacin and vitamin B12.
- Gluten free: If you have celiac disease or NCGS, you’ll be happy to learn this baked chicken Caprese is gluten free. (As always, be aware of potential cross-contact and cross-contamination issues when preparing food for those on gluten-free diets.)
- Easy: You only need 5 simple ingredients for this recipe and it requires no marinade. Chicken Caprese is easy enough for a weeknight meal.
- Delish: It’s amazing how much you can transform plain chicken with this easy recipe. It’s a tasty crowd pleaser that is perfect for family dinners.
🥘 Ingredients
The foundation for this keto Caprese chicken recipe is a classic vegetarian Caprese salad. This simple yet flavorful dish comes to us from Italy and features the colors of the Italian flag:
- Green (basil)
- White (sliced fresh mozzarella cheese)
- Red (sliced fresh tomatoes)
The salad is then often drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction and olive oil. To simplify things with this Caprese chicken recipe, I’ve slathered boneless, skinless chicken breasts with pesto instead of fresh basil. Pesto contains a lot of olive oil, so there’s no need to add more to the chicken.
You can make pesto chicken with store-bought pesto or homemade pesto. It’s up to you. The coating of pesto does a wonderful job keeping the chicken moist while it is oven baked. However, I do recommend using cooking spray to keep the chicken breasts from sticking to the baking dish.
I typically drizzle Caprese chicken with some reduced balsamic vinegar or saba (a condiment from Italy) before serving. Neither of these are low carb, so I’d either skip them entirely or use balsamic vinegar that is not reduced to keep things keto.
Those are the ingredients you need to make keto Caprese chicken. Next, let’s discuss kitchen equipment.
(Note: quantities for all ingredients are located in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
🍽 Equipment
To make Caprese chicken (keto), you need a baking dish that will fit the chicken in a single layer. I use a 9x13-inch (22.9-33 cm) glass baking dish for this recipe. It is the size that is commonly used for lasagnas.
You will also need a mallet and good knife to pound and trim the chicken breasts to a uniform thickness and size. This is important for even cooking. You should also have a meat thermometer on hand to ensure the chicken is properly cooked.
🔪 How to Make Keto Caprese Chicken
I feel like chicken breasts have become larger through the years. The size and thickness of your chicken breast pieces are critical to the cooking time. I used 3 chicken breasts that weighed a total of 1.75 lbs. (28 ounces).
Begin by pounding the chicken pieces with a mallet so they are ¾-inch thick (1.9 cm). Aside from helping the chicken cook more evenly, this makes a flat surface for topping the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Spray your baking dish with cooking spray. Put the prepared chicken in a single layer in the dish.
If your chicken pieces have thin bits along the edges, tuck them under.
Spread the pesto on top of the chicken, dividing it evenly between the chicken breasts. Your chicken pieces should be entirely covered with pesto on top.
️⏲ Cooking Time and Temperature
What temperature for keto Caprese chicken? How long does making chicken Caprese take? Bake chicken Caprese at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C) for a total of 35 minutes. The baking dish should be on an oven rack about ⅓-½ from the top of the oven.
During the first 30 minutes of baking, slice the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Both should be sliced fairly thin- about ¼-inch (0.6 cm) thick.
When the 30 minutes are up, carefully remove the chicken from the oven and check the temp. The minimum safe internal temp for poultry is 165F (74C). My chicken had reached this temp at this point.
Evenly divide all of the sliced mozzarella cheese over the top of the chicken. Put two slices of tomato on top of the mozzarella on each chicken piece. (Tip: chop any remaining tomatoes and use them on side salads.)
Put the chicken back in the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes at 400F (200C). The cheese will get melty and the tomatoes will soften (but not cook down).
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. If desired, garnish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (or saba) and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.
️🌡️ Leftovers
Keto Caprese chicken will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes (uncovered, on a microwave-safe plate).
I do not recommend freezing this recipe because it will alter the texture of the tomatoes. You may be able to freeze this chicken Caprese recipe if you make it without tomatoes.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). Though chicken breast is a lean protein, this main course isn’t the best fit for a low calorie meal. Olive oil-heavy pesto and the generous amount of cheese adds a significant number of calories quickly. In addition, I made the serving size of the chicken very large (over 8 ounces/227 grams).
The reason I did this is because I don’t want you to undereat! Sometimes folks combine a low-carb, high-protein diet with intermittent fasting. If you're eating less than 3 meals per day with the keto diet, you may need more calories with each meal.
Since carbs are largely eliminated with keto, those calories need to come from protein and fat. The standard advice to get about 3-4 ounce equivalents of protein group foods in each meal may not cut it.
That said, if you want a lighter (level 1, lower calorie) meal, here are some tips:
- Use less mozzarella (slice it thinner, so you still get good coverage of the chicken).
- Cut the portion of Caprese chicken in half (i.e., have this recipe serve 6 instead of 3).
- If you are making your own pesto for this recipe, consider experimenting with using less oil.
By the way, if you ever feel like a serving size I’ve listed doesn’t offer enough volume, add more non-starchy veggies! This is one of my key tips if you are struggling with a weight loss goal because you often feel hungry.
Non-starchy veggies are high in filling fiber and fluid volume but low in calories, so load up on them! This tip applies whether you’re using the keto diet for weight loss or not.
🥗 Side Dishes for Caprese Chicken
How to serve keto Caprese chicken? You have lots of options for chicken Caprese side dishes:
Non-Starchy Vegetables (keto sides)
- Spaghetti Squash
- Garden Salad
- Summer Squash
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
- Cauliflower mash
Starchy Vegetables (not keto)
- Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Corn
- Peas
Grains (not keto)
- Rice
- Pasta
- Garlic Bread
- Polenta
FAQs
To air fry Caprese chicken, I recommend using small chicken breasts as I did in my air fryer BBQ chicken recipe. Flip the chicken only once (halfway through the cooking time), spreading on the pesto after you flip. Add the fresh mozzarella and tomato slices during the final 3-5 minutes of air frying.
Here is a really delicious recipe for spinach Caprese salad. To make it a keto chicken Caprese salad, omit the corn and swap the peaches for sliced strawberries. You are not going to believe how good it is!
You may make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, if you’d like. Make sure the chicken thighs are pounded to an even thickness. You may need to decrease the cooking time if the chicken thigh pieces are smaller than the chicken breasts we’re using.
Yes, you can! Here is a recipe for Instant Pot keto Caprese chicken. (The recipe doesn’t specify that it is keto, but most chicken Caprese recipes are keto diet friendly.)
👩🏻🍳 Other Keto Chicken Recipes
Want more recipes for keto chicken? Here are a few of my personal favorites:
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Keto Caprese Chicken
Ingredients
- 1¾ lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (794 grams; equals 3 pieces of chicken)
- 6 tablespoons pesto
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced (227 grams)
- 2 tomatoes, sliced thin
- cooking oil spray of choice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or saba, optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Mist a glass baking dish with cooking oil spray.
- Pound the chicken breasts with a mallet so they are ¾-inch thick (1.9 cm). Put the chicken in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. If the chicken pieces have thin bits along the edges, tuck them under.
- Spread the pesto on top of the chicken, dividing it evenly between the chicken breasts. Your chicken pieces should be entirely covered with pesto on top.
- Put the chicken in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C). The baking dish should be on an oven rack about ⅓-½ from the top of the oven.
- Slice the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes to about ¼-inch (0.6 cm) thick.
- After the 30 minutes are up, remove the chicken from the oven and check the internal temp with a meat thermometer. The minimum safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F (74°C). It's OK if it's a few degrees lower, as it is going back in the oven soon.
- Evenly divide all of the sliced mozzarella cheese over the top of the chicken. Put two slices of tomato on top of the mozzarella on each chicken piece. (Save any extra tomato slices for another recipe.)
- Put the chicken back in the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C). The cheese will melt a little and the tomatoes will soften (but not cook down).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. If desired, garnish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (or saba) and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.
Video
Notes
- Use less mozzarella (slice it thinner, so you still get good coverage of the chicken).
- Cut the portion of Caprese chicken in half (i.e., have this recipe serve 6 instead of 3).
- If you are making your own pesto for this recipe, consider experimenting with using less oil.
Nutrition
Terrified Amateur says
Most comments open immediately with thoughts culinary, but the initial compliment this time goes to the photography. Beautiful colors, including garden produce at peak. Your arrangement and plating capture the exuberance, Summer, and convey it to a salivating public.
Now, on to the food, which is itself perfectly chosen for mid-July. Aside from basic cooking the chicken requires, not much here to add more heat to a house and to diners already overwhelmed with it. Instead, your creation focuses wonderfully on the garden's cooling freshness, with just enough substance to evict hunger pangs.
Oh, and my compliments on growing yourself so much of the dinner Not only do you raise it and coax excellence from it, but you help it to reach its highest culinary aspirations. I mean, just look at that lettuce. Exquisite! .
Summer Yule says
Thank you, I've been working on the photography! IMVHO colorful, seasonal produce is often one of the easiest things to capture. Monochromatic dishes (oatmeal, smoothies) tend to be far more challenging for me.
In all honesty, my garden areas have been an interesting mix of successes and failures. I've noticed a lot of my blueberries have been mysteriously disappearing, though they are covered in bird nets. This morning, my son spotted a pretty little cardinal *inside* the bird net with my berries. Apparently he has figured out how to let himself in and out (because you can shimmy underneath the net where it meets the ground). Sigh. Hahaha
Dennis Yannakos says
I'm craving for this dish! Love it!
Summer Yule says
Thank you! Let me know if you get a chance to make it!