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Keeping things colorful and easy today with this Pesto Caprese Chicken in White Wine Pan Sauce. Seasoned chicken seared until golden, with sweet summer tomatoes, bacon, and a savory white wine pan sauce. The chicken is finished with basil pesto, mozzarella cheese, and fresh heirloom tomatoes. It’s simple, oh so pretty, and made in just under thirty minutes.
You know it’s the end of summer when the tomato recipes just keep coming. Hoping you’re not tired of them just yet because I think this Caprese chicken is my favorite tomato recipe of the summer.
Originally this recipe started off completely different. There actually weren’t any tomatoes or pesto involved. But when I looked over on the counter to see a basket my dad put together full of both heirloom and cherry tomatoes, I knew I needed to make something with those guys.
And since the garden is still full of basil, I wanted to include that too!
And just like that, an entirely new dish was created in my head. I quickly texted my mom to confirm that this was indeed a solid idea. She agreed, and said it sounded delish!
And onto the details…
This is yet another skillet recipe, so as you might imagine, it’s pretty darn simple.
Start with the chicken. Instead of just leaving it plain, I dredged the chicken through a mix of flour, parmesan, and Italian seasoning. It makes the chicken feel a little fancy and, of course, is much more flavorful too.
Now start cooking
Cook the bacon until crispy, then pull it out of the pan. If you don’t love bacon you can skip it. But I do think it adds a lot of flavor to the white wine sauce.
Now add that chicken to the same skillet and cook until golden on both sides. Pour in some white wine and simmer for a few minutes to help the sauce thicken.
Remove the skillet from the heat and arrange the cherry tomatoes around the chicken. Spoon the basil pesto over each piece of chicken. Then top with a slice or two of mozzarella, and a slice or two of tomatoes.
Season everything with a drizzle of olive oil and chili flakes.
Finish the dish off in the oven. Serve it up warm, while the sauce is bubbling and the cheesy is melty.
Don’t forget to add back the bacon and lots of fresh basil before serving though!!
And that’s it.
The chicken is insanely delicious, think a little crispy, seasoned wonderfully with a good mix of Italian seasonings and basil pesto. And cheesy too!
The sauce is rich and savory with hints of sweet wine, burst cherry tomatoes, and crispy bacon.
Perfect for spooning over this cheesy chicken. Everything together is just a wonderful mix of summer flavors that feels a little cozier for the end of the season!
What’s great about this dish is that even though it’s tomato based, it can easily be made from now throughout the month of September, and even into October.
Plus it’s quick and simple. The ideal weeknight dinner that’s pretty enough to serve up on weekends too!
Looking for other Caprese recipes, try these:
One Pot 4 Cheese Caprese Mac and Cheese
Lastly, if you make this Pesto Caprese Chicken in White Wine Pan Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Caprese Chicken in White Wine Pan Sauce
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 742 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or use gluten free
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- chili flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour, parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the flour, tossing to coat. 3. Cook the bacon until crisp in a large oven safe skillet. Remove from the skillet and set aside.4. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the wine. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, arrange the cherry tomatoes around the chicken. Spoon the pesto over each piece of chicken, then add a slice of mozzarella, and 1-2 tomatoes slices to each piece of chicken. Drizzle everything with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. 5. Bake 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Top with bacon and fresh basil. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on August 30, 2021
Do you drain the bacon grease from the skillet?
Hey Angela,
If you have a lot of bacon grease I would drain it, if not it adds great flavor. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Wowzers!!!! Yum. And it was fun to make.
Hey Dru,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
Made this tonight with our garden tomatoes and basil and it was wonderful. When we sat down I said “I hope this is as good as it looks!” and it WAS. I was even texting pictures to my friends ? We had angel hair pasta along with, and I have leftover pasta and sauce for lunch tomorrow. YES.
Hey Amanda,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
Oh my goodness, Tieghan, this is the BEST recipe! My folks’ 65th anniversary was this week and I wanted to make them a special meal and chose this. I served it with rice, fruit, and sourdough bread with additional pesto for spreading. YUM. It was so yummy!! The sauce was sooo tasty and the chicken was moist and so flavorful. This recipe is a home run and I’ll definitely make it again! (I made my own pesto the day before and also cooked the bacon, to save time the day of.)
Hey Amy,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
I made this tonight. The sauce is delicious, everyone enjoyed this dish.
Jersey tomatoes made it even better!!!
Hey Renee,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was so easy and yummy. I decided to make at last minute. Didn’t have mozzarella so used slice of cheddar habanero cheese instead. Turned out great. Served with roasted eggplant. I love easy recipes that are special like this!
Hey Kathy,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Why do you need the olive oil if you have bacon grease in the skillet?
Hey Kathy,
If you want to skip the olive oil go for it:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This was fantastic!
Hey Patty,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was delicious.
Hey Sharon,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Loved this recipe!! I’m obsessed with anything caprese so this was perfect. Easy to make and everyone loved it!
Hey Christine,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Could we sub boneless skinless chicken thighs? Would you reduce the skillet time and the bake time, or just the skillet time?
Hey Colin,
Those would be fine to use, since I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, you can follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Very excited to try this recipe! Did you use fresh mozzarella?
Hey Linda,
I did yes! I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Yep, just delicious. The only sub I made was prosciutto instead of bacon, because we eat BLTs 5 days a week during peak tomato season and my bacon reserve was in the freezer. I got a little goofed up in the order of the layers but each built on the next and “the whole was greater than the sum of it’s parts.” And isn’t that what great cooking (a great recipe) is about? Toasted ciabatta with garlic butter to soak up the sauce. If I was served this at a restaurant, I would be sooooo happy.
Hey Sandra,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was amazing. My Irish husband made mashed potatoes which was a perfect vehicle for the delicious sauce! It is a perfect recipe to use up the summer tomatoes and basil!
Hey Cathy,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Wow! This was delicious! Thank you.
Hey Ellette,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan