If you love classic Caprese salad, wait until you try this comforting and flavorful Chicken Caprese pasta dish! This satisfying Caprese pasta dish consists of al dente fettuccine, shredded chicken, juicy cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots, basil pesto, soft mozzarella, and fresh basil.
It’s a healthy and balanced Italian main meal that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner with crusty bread and a side of vegetables.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This pasta Caprese recipe is incredibly easy to make - perfect for hosting a dinner party or feeding the family.
- It’s a clever and delicious twist on the classic Caprese salad with similar flavors and texture.
- It turns an ordinary chicken pasta meal into something special with minimal effort.
Any fan of Caprese-inspired ingredients will love this bright and flavorful Chicken Caprese!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are in the recipe card below.
- Basil pesto -- this acts like the fresh basil in the caprese salad by making a sauce.
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook the pasta, drain, and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water for cooking.
- Heat the Dutch oven with olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the tomatoes and shallots and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic, stirring constantly.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken and pasta.
- Add the basil pesto and ½ cup of reserved cooking water to the mixture, stirring to combine. Gradually stir in the remaining cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer the pasta dish to a serving platter.
- Sprinkle the dish with crumbled mozzarella.
- Garnish the dish with fresh basil and serve immediately.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Dutch oven -- for cooking the pasta and then the sauce, chicken, and fettuccine.
- Sharp knife -- you'll need this for cutting the basil, shallot, and halving the tomatoes.
- Cutting board -- a sturdy service on which to slice the basil, tomatoes, and onion.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making a caprese pasta recipe.
Yes, mozzarella melts well and is often the cheese used in gooey melted cheese dishes.
A classic Caprese dish consists of tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
This refers to a dish inspired by Capri cuisine and includes ingredients associated with Caprese, such as tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.
Yes! It refers to a dish originating from the Italian island of Capri in the South of Italy.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Chicken breast is great for this dish. You could also use leftover shredded chicken from other recipes in the week or shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Leftover pasta will absorb moisture from the other ingredients in this dish. You may need to add a splash of water or broth to loosen the leftovers or mix in extra pesto.
- The salty and starchy reserved pasta water adds flavor and thickness to the saucy mixture without diluting the flavor.
- Keep a couple of halved cherry tomatoes aside and add them as garnish to the assembled pasta dish for extra color and texture.
📚 Variations
- Other types of pasta can also be used in this pasta dish. Penne, fusilli, or farfalle are good options.
- The combination of red, orange, and yellow cherry tomatoes adds bright color to this pasta dish. Selecting to use one color of cherry tomato is also fine.
- Shredded turkey is a good substitute for chicken.
- Homemade pesto can be used for this dish. I recommend making it before you start with this chicken caprese recipe.
- Marinated mozzarella balls are great for this Caprese pasta.
🥫 Storage
Leftover chicken Caprese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop.
It’s possible to freeze this chicken Caprese pasta dish, although the consistency and texture of the dish may change.
📗 Related Recipes
- Italian Antipasto Caprese Salad Recipe - A classic Caprese salad with fresh and juicy ingredients!
- Caprese Flatbread Sandwich - This Caprese-inspired sandwich recipe contains mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and fried green tomatoes.
- Grilled Portabella Mushroom Alla Caprese - Enjoy a low-carb dish consisting of a large portabella mushroom stuffed with mozzarella cheese, topped with halved grape tomatoes, and then sprinkled with fresh basil before grilling.
🍽 Serve with
Enjoy this Chicken Caprese with Cheesy Garlic Bread and Grilled Vegetables.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
I'll never forget the first time I ate an actual caprese salad. It was in a little wayside trattoria in Rome. The manager of the piccolo albergo (small hotel), where Hubby and I were staying, suggested we go there. This was in September so the tomatoes were ruby red and full of flavor while the mozzarella was fresh, creamy and practically melted in our mouths. And the basil? Its fragrance proceeded its arrival to our table.
From the moment on we were lovers of anything caprese. So in trying to invent something new and delicious for our chicken dinner, the idea of using those three squisito ingredients - tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, came to mind. I know you and your family will enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
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📝 Recipe Card
Chicken Caprese with tomato and mozzarella pasta is inspired by the classic Italian Caprese salad, consisting of bright and juicy summer ingredients, such as cherry tomatoes, soft mozzarella cheese, and zesty pesto.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Caprese Pasta in Creamy Pesto Sauce
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 9 oz fresh linguine
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 oz. shallot thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto
- ¼ cup fresh basil small leaves
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese torn into ½-inch pieces
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a large Dutch oven, adding salt once water comes to a boil. Drain pasta, reserving 1 ½ cups cooking water.
- Wipe Dutch oven clean, and add olive oil. Heat oil over medium-high.
- Add tomatoes to hot oil, and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add shallot, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
- Add chicken, pasta, basil pesto, and ½ cup of reserved cooking water to tomato mixture, stirring to combine.Gradually stir in remaining cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with basil and mozzarella. Serve immediately.
Notes
-
- Chicken breast is great for this dish. You could also use leftover shredded chicken from other recipes in the week or shred a rotisserie chicken.
-
- Leftover pasta will absorb moisture from the other ingredients in this dish. You may need to add a splash of water or broth to loosen the leftovers or mix in extra pesto.
-
- The salty and starchy reserved pasta water adds flavor and thickness to the saucy mixture without diluting the flavor.
-
- Keep a couple of halved cherry tomatoes aside and add them as garnish to the assembled pasta dish for extra color and texture.
Nutrition
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