Sheet Pan Chicken Caprese

This is one of the biggest weeknight staples in our house, and I’ve probably made it at least 50 times over the years.  We usually have most of the ingredients in the pantry or freezer, everything cooks together on one sheet pan, and cleanup is as easy as tossing the foil when you’re done. It’s also a relatively light meal that comes together quickly, but still feels like you put some thought into dinner.  I’ve made it so many times that I don’t even measure the seasonings anymore, so use the amounts below as a starting point and adjust them to your own taste.

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Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1.5-2 pounds)

½ pound of sliced, fresh mozzarella

2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes

10-15 basil leaves, sliced or torn into shreds

3 TBSP olive oil 

2 TBSP salt

2 TBSP pepper

3 TBSP Italian seasoning

1.5 TSP garlic powder

1.5 TSP onion powder

1 TSP ancho chili powder

1 TSP paprika

¼ cup balsamic glaze (I use Nonna Pias)

Crusty bread

Recipe:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Cover a large sheet pan with aluminum foil, then add about 2 TBSP of olive oil.  Tilt the pan to coat completely.  Use a single sheet of aluminum foil so you don’t lose any pan juices, which will later act as a dressing.

  3. Sprinkle 1 TBSP of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning over the sheet pan, then add the cherry tomatoes and toss to coat.

  4. Move your tomatoes aside, then add your chicken thighs to the pan.  Coat the chicken in the remaining olive oil.

  5. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho, paprika, and Italian seasoning.  I like to do the Italian seasoning last so all the other spices stick better.

  6. Put the sheet pan in the oven and cook until the chicken is 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (I have a Thermapen and swear by it).

  7. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven and drape the chicken with your sliced mozzarella.  If you have extra, I also like to tear it into pieces and put it over some of the tomatoes.

  8. Put the sheet pan back into the oven and cook until the chicken thighs reach 165 degrees and the tomatoes are well blistered.

  9. Sprinkle the basil over the pan, and then drizzle the balsamic glaze over everything.  Let it rest for 5 minutes.  

  10. To plate, make a bed of arugula, then top with the chicken and tomatoes.  Using oven mitts because the pan may still be hot, pour the pan juices over your plate and serve with crusty bread to help soak them up.