Caprese Chicken Breasts Pan-Fried from Frozen

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 25 min
  • Active: 15 min
Dinner prep just got a whole lot easier, thanks to this recipe -- it allows you to cook frozen chicken breasts without having to thaw them first. You’ll simply pan-fry the chicken until it’s golden brown (don’t worry, the oil won’t spatter), then layer them with fresh tomato slices and mozzarella cheese when they’re partially thawed to lock in the moisture as the chicken finishes cooking. The flavors are inspired by the classic Italian Caprese salad of tomato, mozzarella and basil -- here used as a garnish.
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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 individually frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 beefsteak tomato, cut into four 1/4-inch-thick slices

8 ounces mozzarella, cut into four 1/4-inch-thick slices

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions

  1. Add the olive oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Gently place the chicken in the skillet and cook, covered, until golden brown on the bottoms, about 10 minutes.
  2. Flip the chicken, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and top with the tomato and then mozzarella slices. Sprinkle the mozzarella with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover the skillet and continue to cook until the mozzarella is melted and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes more. 
  3. Top the chicken with the basil before serving. 

Let's Get Cooking!

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LizzieTwo

The chicken did cook thru using this method, but it was a kinda tough. The tomato and mozzarella just fell off when you would try to cut through the chicken. I would not make again. Plus fresh mozzarella is very flavorless - it melts but that is about all.

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