Pesto Caprese Chicken in Foil
Dinner has never been easier with these foil packets – simple wrap and bake. SO EASY! And the leftovers taste even better!
Cooking at home has many benefits – it’s budget-friendly, it’s healthier, and you know exactly what’s going into your dish. But my favorite part about dinner is the epic lunch leftovers the next day.
Now there’s no need to stand in line for 20 minutes during your lunch break for that Chinese chicken salad with only 4 bites of chicken because with Reynolds™ heat & eat disposable containers, lunch leftovers has never been easier, or tastier.
These containers are a safe alternative to plastic containers, ideal for reheating in the microwave. They’re heat/leak-resistant, and they can easily go from freezer, to fridge, to microwave. That pretty much means you don’t have to bring home those dirty, smelly lunch containers anymore. Simply pack, microwave and dispose. Just be sure to remove the lid prior to reheating.
Done and done.
And I promise you. You’ll get some dirty, jealous looks when you walk into the office with this – chicken breasts topped with pesto (homemade or store-bought), fresh tomatoes (sun-dried tomatoes can be substituted) and melted mozzarella cheese.
It’s unbelievable quick and easy, made right in foil packets making it super easy for individual serving or for packing up your lunch!
Pesto Caprese Chicken in Foil
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 slices
- ¼ cup basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut four sheets of foil, about 12-inches long. Add chicken to the center of each foil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Fold up all 4 sides of each foil packet. Top chicken with pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Fold the sides of the foil over the chicken, covering completely and sealing the packets closed.
- Place foil packets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.*
- Served immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Reynolds Kitchens. All opinions expressed are my own.
These containers are a safe alternative to plastic containers, ideal for reheating in the microwave. They’re heat/leak-resistant, and they can easily go from freezer, to fridge, to microwave.
I made this last night and followed the recipe as written.
Although very delicious, the mozzarella did not stay intact and ended up melting off the chicken to the bottom of the foil pack. Next time I make this, I’ll try adding the mozzarella after the chicken has cooked.
I am making this tonight for my husband. And I hope I don’t mess it up He is the cook in our family. It’s just him and I. He’s been gone traveling for work this last week and I wanna make something easy as simple as I don’t cook. I’M NERVOUS!!!
Any suggestions to marinate the chicken breast? And how long does it usually take for the chicken to fully cook? I don’t know anything about cooking. As I said before my husband is the cook and I am the  sous chef  and dish washer.Â
Any other suggestions would be great!!! Thank you!!!!
The chicken actually doesn’t really need a marinade! As for cooking time, that will vary quite a bit depending on the size of the chicken.
I made this last night and all I can say is YUM. We put the cheese and tomato on about 5 minutes before we pulled the chicken out, so it was the perfect amount of melty…definitely adding this to the rotation!! Love this website and this dish..so much tastiness 🙂
If you freeze the packets how do you defrost it before cooking?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I made this for my kids tonight and they loved it. My daughter asked me to make again tomorrow night (she calls it pizza chicken). It’s so easy to make and tastes great.
I love to cook and I am always looking for new recipes. Â I have made this chicken dish twice now and my kids love it. Â I let them put their own little packet over pasta and done. Â The homemade pesto is amazing. Â Will now be one of my go to, quick and easy recipes.
I want to add that I open the packets after cooking and put them under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.  Made them tonight yum.  I would post a picture if I knew how 🙂
I made this last night for the first time and it was so good – but I think I put too much pesto on each piece of chicken, it was so hard to get out of the foil, very ‘soupy’ – have you had this problem before?
Kate, you can always add more or less pesto as needed. You can even have extra pesto on the side and add more, to taste, when serving.
Wow! You just made my day 🙂 I absolutely love pesto and this is so easy to make. Great idea Chungah!!
Man, I love your recipes. A few of them have become regulars in our house; I’m a big fan of simple, delicious, and (mostly) nutritious! Thanks for such a great blog.
I’m excited to try this one this week. I always wonder what vegetables would go best with your dishes (if they’re not already mixed into the main recipe). Aside from the tomatoes in this one, do you have any recommendations for a vegetable side?
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Great idea, I have some leftover pesto in the fridge, this would be a perfect way to use it up. Thanks
This recipe sounds wonderful–and it’s always wonderful when there isn’t the need wash lots of pots and pans afterwards.
600 calories for a piece of chicken seems high? How many ounces of chicken do you think that is?
I LOVE the combination of chicken and pesto! This looks so simple (and delicious) and I love the idea of easy cleanup afterwards!
Fantastic recipe! I pinned and can’t wait to try 🙂
From the picture the cheese, tomato, and basil was not added to the foil pack before cooking but after for a better presentation or website picture. The recipe and picture are not matching up but either way, the final product should be good. I would cook the chicken with the pesto and add the other toppings after the chicken is removed from the oven with a foil tent for 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
Russ, this was cooked as written, but the basil was added as a garnish as directed in the recipe.
I love this recipe! I just made it last night. Mine did not look like the picture though after cooking. The mozzarella melted all over and kind of disappeared a little. Next time I will probably add it in the final 5 minutes of cook time, but overall great recipe! Will definitely be adding this to the rotation as it is easy and delicious.
I love that they’re cooked in foil! I’ve made something similar to this only I bake the chicken until nearly done, then add the tomatoes and cheese (cause the mozz would be ruined if it baked from start to finish!). This way totally allows you to put it all in at once! The foil protects the mozz. NICE!!!
One of my favorite chicken dishes!
Are these things recyclable?
Each Reynolds heat & eat disposable containers comes with a BPA-free, recyclable plastic lid that snaps shut to help prevent messy leaks.