These Caprese Chicken Orzo Bowls are SO yummy – made with fresh ingredients like basil, juicy cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and melt in your mouth orzo, these bowls are SO simple to whip up and so delicious!
You guys – we are just a few days away from it being Summer forreal. Which is 1) crazy and 2) where did the year go?!
Anyway, Summer being right around the corner is great timing because this is my new favorite Summer meal! It’s light, refreshing and SO tasty!
Why You’ll Love This Dish:
If I haven’t said before, orzo is for sure my favorite pasta – to me, it’s like rice’s fancy best friend. There is something creamy, melt in your mouth tasty about this delicious grain. And it goes perfectly with this bowl!
The rest of the ingredients are SO fresh – from the basil, the mozzarella balls, the juicy cherry tomatoes – the orzo is the perfect foundation for this bowl to really tie everything together into one delicious bite.
Oh, and did I mention how insanely delicious the chicken is?!? It has a simple but delicious seasoning – including salt, fresh garlic and of course, balsamic vinegar! Because what is caprese without balsamic?!
It adds a fresh hit of acidity and the garlic adds a savoriness that’s necessary to combat the rest of the fresh ingredients.
Overall, each bite is so well balanced, perfectly delicious and so refreshing! It’s quick to whip up during a busy weeknight or you could make it a date night idea and pour a glass of red wine!
Let’s get into what you need for it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Chicken breast tenderloins
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh mozzarella balls
- Orzo
- Fresh garlic
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Butter
Best Tips on Making Caprese Bowls:
I began making this recipe by getting the orzo out of the way. Not that it’s like, hard, by any means – but just go ahead and cook the orzo based off of the box directions.
Once it’s all done, I drained it and set it aside.
Now, while it’s cooking, you can for sure start to prep the other ingredients. For this recipe, I used chicken breast tenderloins but you can always just use normal chicken breasts.
I started by mincing up a couple of cloves of garlic and set those aside. Then, I cut my chicken into bite size pieces as well.
To a medium skillet, add a splash of olive oil and let it heat up on medium heat.
Add in the chicken breast along with a generous pinch of salt. Let that cook for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through to make sure it’s fully cooked.
Once it’s cooked, add in the garlic and the balsamic vinegar. Cook for 1 more minute and then reduce the heat to low. Taste and adjust seasoning (add more salt if needed!)
Add the orzo back into the pot along with a pat of butter, salt and garlic powder. Taste to season and let the butter melt into the orzo.
Now begin to layer the bowls!
Start with the orzo on the bottom, followed by the chicken, the mozzarella balls, the fresh basil and of course, the juicy tomatoes. You can cut the tomatoes in half if you’d like but it’s not necessary.
And now..you’re all set to dig in! Enjoy every single bite of this delicious meal!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Sundried Tomato Bruschetta Bowls with Chicken Sausage
Heirloom Tomato Tart with Basil Sauce
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Caprese Chicken Orzo Bowls
These Caprese Chicken Orzo Bowls are SO yummy - made with fresh ingredients like basil, juicy cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and melt in your mouth orzo, these bowls are SO simple to whip up and so delicious!
Ingredients
Balsamic Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into bite size chunks
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
Bowl Toppings
- 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced in half
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls
- fresh basil
- cracked black pepper
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 garlic powder
Instructions
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Cook 1 cup of orzo according to box directions. Drain and set aside.
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Mince garlic. Cut chicken breast into bite size chunks. Add the tsp of olive oil to the pan and heat on medium heat. Add chicken in and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
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Cook the chicken until completely done - about 6-8 minutes. Then add in garlic and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 1 more minute. Turn on low. Add more salt and/or garlic powder when you taste to season.
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Add the orzo back into the pot you cooked it in. Add 1 tbsp of butter, a pinch of salt and garlic powder into the orzo and mix until combined.
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Layer the bowls! Start with the orzo followed by the chicken, the sliced cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls and of course, fresh basil. Top with fresh cracked pepper! Enjoy!
this is an amazing summer night dish! The Mozzarella balls and the spices add such a great touch! I will make this again and I am making it for a family who just welcomed a baby girl into their hearts 🙂
thank you Haylie for this easy, healthy, and tasty recipe!
Blessings,
Mary Yonjof
Hi Mary! Thank you so so much for your kind review. So glad you loved the recipe and so glad you’re able to bless a new mama with it! <3