Casseroles
Chicken Caprese Quinoa Bake
Made in one pan and largely hands-off, this chicken Caprese quinoa bake is a vibrant taste of summer with little work!
Made in one pan and largely hands-off, this chicken Caprese quinoa bake is a vibrant taste of summer with little work!
At a glance
What stands out: This is a straightforward casserole to prep and looks kind of fancy.
How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep; 1 hour, 35 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 inch baking dish, foil
Servings: 6
A requirement of summer should be getting at least one serving of Caprese a week, am we right? The combination of fresh, soft mozzarella cheese, juicy tomatoes, and flavorful basil screams summer and we can never get enough of it.
Thankfully we have you covered with some fun Caprese options and we're excited to be adding to that list with this recipe. If you’re looking for more, make sure to try this irresistible hot Caprese dip, Caprese turkey burgers, and this Israeli couscous salad with tomato, mozzarella, and herbs. We love these caprese couscous stuffed tomatoes!
One more: This roasted tomato crostini may not be technically categorized as Caprese but it’s similar and it’s one of our personal favorite appetizers.
About this chicken Caprese quinoa bake
This chicken Caprese quinoa bake is a good one to carry over into those busy fall evenings, too. It takes some time to bake but it’s nearly all hands-off, giving you lots of time to do whatever else you need to do.
You basically just stir everything together in a baking dish, cover, and bake. That’s all there is to it. It couldn’t be easier. Once it’s done baking, add fresh mozzarella cheese and Roma tomatoes and return it to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Before serving, top it with fresh basil and balsamic reduction.
Cooking Tip
Level up with from-scratch balsamic reduction! But we don’t judge – we have a bottle of store-bought balsamic glaze in our fridge as we speak.How it comes together
- Add pesto! We like to, but our kids are allergic to nuts and it’s hard to find a safe pesto (Yes, we know we could make our own without pine nuts- in fact we have a great pesto recipe on Bomumo.) we'd add ¼ to ½ cup of pesto, depending on how basil-y you like it.
- Add more veggies: We're always trying to sneak vegetables in. We think spinach would be great in this. Chop it finely and everyone will think it’s basil.
- Make it vegetarian: We haven’t tested this, but if you leave out the chicken and leave everything else the same, this should still turn out great. Bonus: Quinoa has lots of protein!
- Make it dairy-free: You could leave off the cheese. If you have to. We don’t think we can still call it Caprese, but it will still be tasty.
- Make it gluten-free: Did you know quinoa is naturally gluten-free? No changes needed!
Zucchini Casserole
- Yield: 6 servings
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Total: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup diced sweet yellow onion (about ½ onion)
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, additional 8 to 10 leaves for garnishing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds
- 3 to 4 roma tomatoes, sliced
- balsamic glaze (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9 × 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or avocado oil spray.
- Combine chicken, chicken broth, quinoa, diced tomatoes, onions, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in prepared baking dish. Stir to combine.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, stir, and again cover tightly. Continue to bake for another 45 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover and top with cheese and tomatoes and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with desired toppings, we recommend fresh basil and balsamic reduction.
Notes
This is good leftover, so it’s reliable for meal prepping to get ready for the week.
Try adding pesto for additional flavor! Add ¼ to ½ cup of pesto, depending on how you like it.
