My perspective on ‘comfort food’ has changed over the last 4 months. In the past, comfort food meant food that tasted indulgently good but was not healthy. Food that I often felt guilty about afterwards. As many of you know, my husband had a heart attack in May. It changed our lifestyle for the better. We are all more active and our eating habits have completely changed. The New Comfort Food, for us, is conscious food. I want to know exactly what we are putting in our bodies and where it is coming from. Today, I am sharing this Chicken Caprese recipe. It is a total win because not only is it healthy, it also tastes great and is easy enough to make with two toddlers running around. Also, I love that I can adjust the meal to a salad or sandwich.
For the chicken, I used Foster Farms Simply Raised fresh chicken breast. It gives me peace of mind that Foster Farms does not use antibiotics and that their chicken is fresh (they are California/Pacific Northwest grown depending on where you live). Their farms are American Humane Certified and they never use added hormones or steroids.
The majority of my ingredients are local (again going back to knowing where your food is coming from). My tomatoes and mozzarella are from my local farmers market and Foster Farms Simply Raised chicken breast is California grown. I also used balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
I sauteed the salt and pepper-seasoned chicken breasts over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil in a grill pan. The great thing about the thin-sliced breast filets is that they cook quickly (time is everything in my house!). And they are oh so juicy!
For dinner, I serve the chicken caprese as part of a make it your own station. I put out sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, ciabatta bread, and spring mix. This way everyone can eat what they like. I wish I could say my kids eat everything I put in front of them…but they don’t! This way the kids can make a sandwich (without tomatoes for my daughter) and my husband and I enjoy it as a salad. Best part is that I am not making multiple meals for one dinner.
How gorgeously red are those tomatoes?
Ingredients
- 4 thinly sliced chicken breast pieces (Foster Farms Simply Raised)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 small tomatoes (sliced)
- 1 small log of fresh mozzarella cheese (sliced)
- 1 handful of fresh basil (chopped)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper
- Ciabatta roll or spring mix (depending on your preference for sandwich or salad)
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry
- Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat
- Add chicken to skillet
- Turn chicken every two minutes
- Check to see if cooked through (10-15 minutes)
- Remove chicken and place in a dish
- Top with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
- Serve on ciabatta roll or on top of greens for a salad
Don’t you just love the ease and versatility of this meal? How are you redefining comfort food in your home?
With love,
Shahla
Nellwyn says
Great idea! I love caprese salad and adding chicken is a great way to turn it into a full meal.
shahla says
Thanks for stopping by, Nellwyn XO
The GOlden girl diary says
Oh my goodness! This looks so good….My stomach is so craving this now!
shahla says
Thanks Amanda!! So easy to make, I promise!
chanel says
I am seriously salivating over this right now! Looks so good!
shahla says
Haha! Thanks Chanel!! So easy to make too! XO
Heather Pedersen says
I’ve never made this, but it looks delicious and simple to make!
shahla says
It totally is!! Thanks Heather!
Melissa says
This looks seriously amazing! So light and fresh.
shahla says
Thanks so much, Melissa! XO
Abby says
I have made something similar before, but without the chicken. I can’t believe I never added it before! I will be making this soon!
shahla says
Yay! Let me know how it turns out, Abby! XO
Melissa says
All of my favorite ingredients in one dish!! A Caprese salad is my fave so the addition of chicken just makes it even better! Yum!
shahla says
Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by!
April says
That looks delicious! I love anything with balsamic vinegar, basil and mozzarella. I saved this recipe to Plan to Eat so I can make it in the future. Great post!
shahla says
That is wonderful! Thank you, April!!
Aimee @ MamacentRiC says
This looks delicious, Shahla! I love that you have shifted your idea of comfort food to conscious food. It is so important for us to take charge of our health and our happiness.
shahla says
Thank you for your kind words, Aimee!! Thank you for reading! XO
Sharon chen says
Looks great even your presentation of the dish! It also looks very delicious.
shahla says
Thank you Sharon! That means a lot coming from you!
Erin says
This looks so delicious! I love anything with tomatoes. Sharing on Pinterest! <3
xoxo, erin | sandsunandmessybuns.com
shahla says
Yay!! Thanks so much, Erin!!
Cath @ This Mama Learns says
This looks really good. And healthy. I’m going to add it to my list of recipes to try, I’m in a recipe funk at the moment. Hope this snaps me out of it!
shahla says
Awesome! Thanks so much for reading! XO
Klauss says
A small addition to the classic dish and get a complete lunch 🙂 Perfectly!
shahla says
Thanks so much, Klauss!
Naya @ Lactivist in Louboutins says
This looks so simple to make, but it’s so delicious! Thanks for the easy recipe!
shahla says
Yay! Thank you, Naya!! XO
Stefanie says
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
shahla says
So glad you like it! Thanks!!
DAWN says
UMMM MY MOUTH IS WATERING! I AM ADDING THIS ON MY RECIPE LIST!
shahla says
Yay!! Thanks so much!
Keala says
Oh guess what I am making for dinner. I love the idea of doing it as a make your own station. Thanks for tonight’s dinner idea!
shahla says
Yay! Thanks so much! Let me know how it goes! xo
Kim S says
Your pics are great! That looks so yummy! I totally love caprese salad recipes!
shahla says
Thanks so much! Me too!! XO
Fawn says
Yummy! This looks so good. Something the whole family would love.
shahla says
Thanks so much, Fawn! XO