I like to have some easy and fast dinners up my sleeve and this oven baked risotto with caprese is on my list of go-to dinners. People ask me all the time if I really cook dinner all the time. Yes, I really do. But I do some things to make it easy to get dinner on the table every night. For starters, keep a well stocked pantry. When you have ingredients in your house, you can pull something together easily, without having to try too hard. Another is to make something (like chicken breasts), and make more than you need so you can use it in an entirely different way for something else another night. Having cooked chicken breasts in my fridge guarantees me that I will not be ordering a pizza. I can add it to a salad, pizza, pasta, tacos, the possibilities are endless.
This method for making risotto is not traditional, admittedly. That being said, who cares? It tastes delicious. It is creamy and rich like a risotto should be. You could forget about the chicken and caprese, and add some Parmesan cheese and serve this as a side dish. There are so many things that you can do to change this meal up. A nice vegetarian option might be to make a mushroom ragu and serve that on top. I think that might be on my meal plan in the very near future.
2 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Arborio rice
1 chopped small onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3-4 cooked chicken breasts
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter in a 9×13 baking dish or a 2 quart baker like this one. Bake the butter in the oven until it melts, about 5 minutes.
Add the Arborio rice, onions, salt and pepper.
Pour the chicken broth over and cover with tin foil. Bake for 35 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, combine the sliced tomatoes, onions (I like onions in my caprese, so I added a little bit at the last minute), olive oil, and balsamic. Gently toss in the mozzarella and basil. Set aside.
Take the rice out of the oven and fluff with a fork.
Top the rice with chicken breast and the caprese.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 chopped small onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3-4 cooked chicken breasts
- 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put the butter in a 9×13 baking dish or a 2 quart baker. Bake the butter in the oven until it melts, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Arborio rice, onions, salt and pepper.
- Pour the chicken broth over and cover with tin foil. Bake for 35 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, combine the sliced tomatoes, onions (I like onions in my caprese, so I added a little bit at the last minute), olive oil, and balsamic. Gently toss in the mozzarella and basil. Set aside.
- Take the rice out of the oven and fluff with a fork.Top the rice with chicken breast and the caprese.
This looks easy and flavorful. Is the texture of the risotto similar to when its made using the traditional method?
Keeley recently posted..Rosemary and Red Pepper Couscous
Pretty close. It is creamy and loose like risotto is.
Yum. I love Caprese anything!!! Can’t wait to try it.
I hope that you do Kelly.
I would love to know what is in your well-stocked pantry.
I will do a post on it soon. I need to clean it first.
i HATE onions…do you have any substitutes for that to get good flavor in the dish?
thanks!
I would just leave them out. You could try shallots, they are much milder and sweeter.
This looks amazing…if I wanted to subsitute brown rice, should I bake the rice longer?
Yes, use brown Arborio rice and cook it probably 10-20 minutes more. Check it before you take it out.
You’re amazing, Bree! Looks delicious.
Glocal Girl recently posted..Trains Over Planes
So are you! Love the pictures from your familys visit. Looks like you had a great time.
Oh this looks wonderful…I can’t wait to try it. Thanks Bree!
You are welcome Denise!
goodNESS that looks delicious. i love risotto but hardly ever make it because of the stirring & attention it requires. this is totally going in the repertoire.
emily @ the happy home recently posted..Bunny Cupcakes
Me too. I never make it for that reason. This version is now how I will make it.
This just looks delicious!
Barb recently posted..Snowberries
thanks Barb!
Looks delicious!
I’ll be printing this one to make at home. 
Hopefully soon 
Paula @ Dishing the Divine recently posted..nectarine-blackberry crisp
I hope that you do Paula!
I’ve got a bowl full of cherry tomatoes just picked from the garden. Perfect for this recipe! Thanks!
Angela Dal Bon Sacramento Invites recently posted..Style Me Pretty Blog Post
Thank YOU! Hope that you like it.
WOW!! This looks amazing, Bree! I might actually be brave enough to attempt risotto
I can’t wait to try this on the hubby!
This is the easiest way ever to make it. Give it a go, I am sure that you will be great.
Okay, so I made this tonight and it is AMAZING! I put a lot of Caprese on my chicken because I love it so much. It was delicious and I loved the risotta….such an easy way to make it. I did substitute brown rice, added an extra cup of stock, and cooked it an extra 25 minutes. Soooo good! Thank you Bree!
Yeah Diana! Glad to know that the brown rice worked well.
We planted our first garden ever this summer and have had such success (YAY!). Our tomatoes (heirloom and cherry romas) are producing like crazy and my family is getting a bit tired of caprese salads (as much as I love them!) and this was the PERFECT twist on it. The entire family LOVED it… even my non-chicken eater!! Thank you for such a yummy and simple recipe
Yeah Traci! So glad that you all loved it. We had a great garden last year, I really miss it.
Hi Bree
This was a home run recipe. My husband and I loved it and it was really easy to make, especially since he grilled the chicken while I worked on the rest. Do you have other recipes that involve making risotto in the oven or in other flavors?
I bake my regular rice too, you could make so many versions of this recipe. Top with grilled veg, ratatouille, grilled fish, pesto….
Thanks so much for the BEST recipe that I have ever made for dinner. My husband said it was tremendous, which I have never heard him say about my cooking!! Fantastic blog, and cooking ideas. I am hooked!
I am so glad Beth! You can make different variations of this recipe too.