One of those dishes that people will always be asking for the recipe! This Caprese Chicken Salad recipe is super easy to throw together for a quick lunch but looks like it took hours to prepare! It is loaded with the fresh flavors of tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and sweet basil. It is my go-to recipe for a potluck brunch or throwing a bridal or baby shower!
Introducing my newest addiction. Caprese Chicken Salad. I want a million words to tell you guys how good this is, but really all I have is YUM.
I think what makes this recipe so good is that it is just simple. It has classic flavors and when they are combined a little magic happens! Really, between the flavors and how easy it all is, this is one that you just find yourself making over and over again! I started chopping my chicken and veggies in my Hamilton Beach Pro food processor and WOW! Life changing! It makes the prep take minutes instead of the tedious amount of time chopping usually takes.
Disclosure: I really love my food processor, so Hamilton Beach sent me their newest Professional Food Processor to try free of charge, I was not otherwise compensated for this post. Spoiler alert: I love it. You can read about how I used it in the post below.
I made this for the first time when some of my girl friends came over and we couldn’t get enough! I served it on long romaine hearts that we drizzled with balsamic glaze. Ahhhhhh…. who would have thought heaven came in the form of a lettuce wrap?!
This chicken salad is super pretty which also makes it a great option for a brunch or shower. You can serve it on lettuce wraps like I did here, or you can try croissants, crackers, toast, finger sandwiches, in a hollowed out tomato, or on cucumber or zucchini slices. You can prepare it on those things, or serve it in a bowl with lots of options for guests, or even a big bowl surrounded by lots of items to put it on in the middle of a family dinner table. We like to do this as a fun meal and change up the chicken salad flavor each time. You can see all of my chicken salad recipes here!
I really hope you love this as much as I did! If you try it, I would love to hear about it in the comments, or tag me on my foodie instagram account –> @easyfamilyrecipes so I can see what you’re eating! It makes my day to hear people are making and enjoying my recipes!
Caprese Chicken Salad Recipe – Step by Step
If you are just looking for the recipe, scroll down to the bottom, or keep reading for my step by step tips on making this dish.
Ingredients:
- 3 C chicken breast {I usually bake mine with salt and pepper in the oven, which you can do ahead of time. You can also use rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken or even canned chicken. Just remember the yummier your chicken breast is by itself, the yummier the whole salad will taste}
- 1 1/2 C cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 C fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes {Make sure you use buffalo mozzarella for the best result. You can chop up either a large ball or slice up small balls.}
- 1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, chopped {you could sub white or red if you want!}
- 1/2 C mayonnaise
- 1/3 C chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, mix the mayo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until combined.If you want to make this all in one bowl, you can do that too. I get it! Dishes are the worst. If you aren’t premixing the seasonings with the mayo, make sure to mix it really well when you combine to get the seasonings evenly distributed.
- Cut the chicken breast into thirds and place them in the food processor with the chopping blade. Pulse until they are in approx 1/2 inch pieces. Then empty the chicken and change the blade to the dicing attachment. Use this to chop the onion.Guys. I have had a Hamilton Beach food processor for over 10 years and it is one of my favorite kitchen tools! I had the older one you can see in my Instagram picture here, and didn’t know what I was missing not having the pro model until they sent me this one! There is a dicing attachment that is GOLD for veggies!In my humble opinion, chopping veggies is the WORST! It is tedious and time consuming. I am into quick and easy. The attachment allows you to push veggies down the chute to a chopper that cuts them perfectly! I was so amazed I might have chopped every onion in the house. No lie. You can do celery, carrots, potatoes, etc. The food processor itself can not only dice, but also quickly slice, shred, knead, chop, mix and puree just how you want it. It has a 14 cup bowl which was a must for me since I like to make big batch salsa regularly and it is super helpful for grating cheese as well. This guy pretty much has you covered for prepping big or small! You can get the Hamilton Beach Professional dicing food processor sent straight to your door from Amazon or find out more about the details on the Hamilton Beach website here.I cook a lot, as you guys know, and my kitchen life is verifiably changed!
- Place chicken, tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella in a large bowl and fold in the mayo mixture until combined. Gently stir in the basil to finish.
- Serve on toast, lettuce wraps, in a hollowed out roll, a tomato, or on sliced cucumber.This makes about 6 cups which should give you about 8-10 servings depending how heavy handed you are with a serving. It will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but is definitely best fresh since the cheese does start to get a little softer once it has been sitting in the salad for awhile.
Simple and easy as promised! Enjoy this by yourself or with friends! Check back again soon for more quick and easy recipes!
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Caprese Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 C chicken breast
- 1 1/2 C cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 C fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 C sweet yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 C mayonaise
- 1/3 C chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp sat
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the mayo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until combined.
- Cut the chicken breast into thirds and place them in the food processor with the chopping blade. Pulse until they are in approx 1/2 inch pieces. Then empty the chicken and change the blade to the vegetable chopping attachment. Use this to chop the onion.
- Place chicken, tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella in a large bowl and fold in the mayo mixture until combined. Gently stir in the basil to finish.
- Serve on toast, lettuce wraps, in a hollowed out roll, a tomato, or on sliced cucumber.
- Makes approx 8 servings.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Melissa says
Wow!!! Looks amazing! I love these flavors! And that new Hamilton Beach….I want one!!!
Kimber says
Thanks Melissa! I hope you enjoy it! The food processor is my new best friend!
Julie Wood says
I am going to make the Caprese chicken salad. It looks so delicious and easy to make. And I would love a Hamilton Beach food processor like this one! It is amazing!
Julie says
Hi, what is the drizzle on top..balsamic?
Kimber says
It is balsamic glaze! It is a really delicious addition but still so good without it!