Easy Air Fryer Caprese Chicken with Pesto & Mozzarella
This 30-minute Air Fryer Caprese Chicken is the perfect warm-weather dinner. Ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and simple basil and spinach pesto top chicken breasts and pair great with your favorite pasta for a meal everyone will love!
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 718.3kcal
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts thin sliced or pounded to even thickness
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1-2 vine-ripened tomatoes cut into 8 even slices
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cut into 8 even pieces
Pesto Sauce
- 1 cup fresh basil packed
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt and pepper while you prep the rest of the ingredients.4 chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ lemon, 2 garlic cloves, salt and black pepper to taste
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Once preheated, add the chicken to the air fryer basket and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth.1 cup fresh basil, 1 cup fresh spinach, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ lemon, 2 garlic cloves, salt and black pepper
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and top each breast with 2 slices of tomato and 2 slices of mozzarella.1-2 vine-ripened tomatoes, 8 ounces fresh mozzarella
- Place the chicken back in the air fryer or oven and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should read 165 degrees F).
- Top the chicken breasts with about two tablespoons of pesto sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness before cooking so the whole breast finishes at the same time instead of drying out on the thin end.
- Thaw chicken fully before cooking—starting from frozen throws off both the timing and the even-cooking benefit of pounding it.
- Add the tomato and cheese in the last few minutes only, since too early lets the tomato's liquid steam the chicken instead of browning it.
- Save the pesto for after cooking, not before—heat dulls fresh basil and turns it slightly bitter.
- Melted cheese isn't a reliable done cue; confirm 165°F with a thermometer every time.
- No air fryer? Bake at 375°F, about 15-20 minutes, then another 8-10 minutes once topped, until the chicken hits 165°F.
- If large tomatoes aren't in season yet, swap in cherry or grape tomatoes—they stay sweeter and more reliable.
- Leftovers keep 3-4 days in the fridge, but reheat gently in the microwave, oven, or air fryer so the chicken doesn't dry out.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 718.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.38g | Protein: 61.71g | Fat: 49.25g | Saturated Fat: 12.98g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.63g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27.74g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 189.43mg | Sodium: 917.71mg | Potassium: 1061.38mg | Fiber: 1.45g | Sugar: 2.15g | Vitamin A: 1733.22IU | Vitamin C: 25.36mg | Calcium: 331.68mg | Iron: 1.94mg
