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Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet

This Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet recipe brings the fresh flavors of summer into a skillet chock full of low carb, gluten free comfort food!

Who’s up for an all-in-one cast iron skillet recipe full of cheesy, low carb, gluten free goodness? (Well, I mean: Who isn’t, right?) Today’s Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet recipe takes advantage of seasonal fresh tomatoes and zucchini, adds chicken to the seasoned veggies for an extra pop of protein, punches things up with a little balsamic vinegar, then blankets everything in a layer of fresh (and oh-so-delicious) mozzarella… you know, just to take it over the top.

caprese chicken and zucchini

So what inspired today’s skillet full of cheesy goodness? Well, I was looking to use up a pack of boneless chicken thighs, an over-abundance of garden tomatoes, and a couple of zucchini someone gave me. While looking at my old Caprese chicken + kale skillet recipe from last year, I realized that zucchini would go very well with some Caprese-inspired flavor — in a ratatouille-plus-Caprese-kind-of-a-mashup. 

It turned out so well, you guys! 🙂

Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet

Priano fresh mozzarella

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic (about four cloves)
16 oz zucchini, sliced
7 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Throw the mozzarella in the freezer before you start, so that it will be a little easier to slice.

Trim chicken, and season it with sea salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for one minute.

Browned chicken thighs

Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook them over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes a side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a separate plate.

While the thighs are cooking, slice your zucchini and tomatoes. Dice the onion and mince garlic (if using cloves).

After removing the chicken, reduce heat to medium under the same skillet. Add the onion to the pan and saute for two minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Stir in the garlic and saute just briefly, then add in the zucchini. Season with basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper, then cook over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring and flipping over the zucchini occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies are sauteing, pull mozzarella out of the freezer and slice.

Once the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat under the pan. Top the sauteed veggies with cooked chicken. Drizzle everything with balsamic vinegar, then top with sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.

cheesy skillet

Move the entire skillet to the oven and broil for 8 minutes to brown the cheese. Serve hot.

Note: I topped my Caprese skillet with chopped fresh parsley for a little contrast in the photos, but that’s totally optional. 

This Caprese Skillet got High School Guy to eat zucchini!

Caprese chicken skillet with zucchini

To be honest, neither boy is a huge fan of zucchini. High School Guy ate quite a bit of it here, though, because the cheese and savory seasonings made all the difference. (Middle School Guy chose to indulge only in the chicken and tomatoes, but, baby steps, right?)

So much flavor, so much all-in-one, real food goodness: This simple cast iron skillet recipe makes a great keto-friendly dinner for four, and can be on your table in about 45 minutes start to finish.

Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet, printable recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet

Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Skillet brings the fresh flavors of summer into a skillet full of low carb, gluten free comfort food!
Course dinner
Cuisine skillet
Keyword all-in-one, caprese, cast iron, cast iron skillet, chicken, gluten free, keto, low carb, zucchini
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 2 tsp minced garlic about four cloves
  • 16 oz zucchini sliced
  • 7 medium Roma tomatoes sliced
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Instructions

  • Throw the mozzarella in the freezer before you start, so that it will be a little easier to slice.
  • Trim chicken, and season it with sea salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for one minute.
  • Add the chicken thighs to the skillet and cook them over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes a side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a separate plate.
  • While the thighs are cooking, slice your zucchini and tomatoes. Dice the onion and mince garlic (if using cloves).
  • After removing the chicken, reduce heat to medium under the same skillet. Add the onion to the pan and saute for two minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  • Stir in the garlic and saute just briefly, then add in the zucchini. Season with basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper, then cook over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring and flipping over the zucchini occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • While the veggies are sauteing, pull mozzarella out of the freezer and slice.
  • Once the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat under the pan. Top the sauteed veggies with cooked chicken. Drizzle everything with balsamic vinegar, then top with sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.
  • Move the entire skillet to the oven and broil for 8 minutes to brown the cheese. Serve hot.

Notes

I topped my Caprese skillet with chopped fresh parsley for a little contrast in the photos, but that’s totally optional.

Recipes in the real world

weekly ALDI meal plans from Mashup Mom -- six complete dinners for four, $60 out the door! MashupMom.com, every Wednesday.

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Recipe Rating




Mandy

Wednesday 21st of August 2019

This is my 2nd week using your meal plans. I've been able to tweak them to fit our dietary restrictions without much fluctuation in cost. Some meals leave us with plenty of leftovers for lunches. I like that I have gotten out of my meal planning rut. We are trying new foods and new recipes with out investing too much in ingredients. Thank you so much for all your thought and effort. It is so appreciated.

Katie

Tuesday 20th of August 2019

Loved this! So good!

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