Chicken Caprese salad with creamy basil pesto

5 from 10 votes

Chicken Caprese salad with creamy basil pesto

This Caprese chicken pasta recipe is not just easy to make, but it is versatile and wholesome. You get a scrumptious romance of chicken, burrata, pasta, and pesto all in one.

Prep Time9

Cook Time21

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: international, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 600.73kcal

Author: Maureen Celestine

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pack pasta shell ( I used Casarecce )
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground garlic
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
Salt and ground black pepper to taste ( I used ½ a teaspoon each)
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil + more
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 .oz fresh burrata

FOR THE PESTO

2 fresh basil + plus more to garnish
¼ fresh oregano
4 garlic cloves (use less garlic if you don’t like the pungent taste)
¾ cup grated Parmesan
Salt & ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Combine paprika, garlic powder, bouillon powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Place chicken in a bowl or ziplock bag or bowl, add olive oil, then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over chicken. Massage with both hands until all sides are well coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
As the chicken is marinating, cook the pasta shells according to package instructions. Set aside.
Place all the ingredients for the pesto into the bowl of a food processor and give it a few pulses until it’s roughly mixed.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet pan on medium heat.
Place the chicken thighs top side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Using a kitchen thong, flip the chicken, and bake for 16-18 minutes or until the juice runs clear or an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F. Let stand for 5 minutes or so before slicing.
Spoon the pasta into individual serving bowls. Add tomatoes, burrata, and chicken. Drizzle the creamy basil pesto atop the pasta and garnish it with fresh basil. Serve immediately!

Notes

How to store Caprese pesto pasta salad?

This cold chicken Caprese salad tastes excellent when served cold so that you can store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Moreover, you can also store the leftover salad by placing it in an airtight container and refrigerating it. It will last for up to 3 days. However, the more you keep it in the refrigerator, the more juices the ingredients will release. As a result, the salad gets soggy. So, try not to store it for more than three days.

Nutrition