Caprese Chicken Sandwich with Basil Pesto Mayo

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Lightly seasoned chicken breast is topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, juicy ripe tomatoes, and garden fresh basil. This Caprese Chicken Sandwich is served on a buttery brioche bun and smothered in a basil pesto mayo spread.

Caprese chicken sandwich on a brioche bun, on parchment paper, ingredients in the background.

The Chicken Caprese Sandwich is a restaurant quality meal, made for a fraction of the price, right at home! This sandwich comes together in about 20 minutes tops and is packed with flavor.

After your chicken is cooked, all you need to do is assemble your sandwich! The chicken can be pan-fried in a cast iron skillet, cooked outside on the grill or made with premade grilled chicken breast.

If you love a good quality sandwich, then you have to try my Pesto Turkey Sandwich and my Baked Ham and Cheese Bagel Sandwich!

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Reasons you will love this recipe
Ingredients
Equipment needed
Step-by-step instructions
Variations
Top tips
Serving suggestions
Frequently asked questions
Caprese Chicken Sandwich with Basil Pesto Mayo
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Reasons you will love this recipe

It's delicious! This sandwich is packed with fresh summery flavors from the ripe tomatoes and the basil plus basil pesto.
It's quick! It doesn't take hardly any time at all to cook up a thin sliced chicken breast. You could save yourself even more time by purchasing pre-cooked chicken breast.
It's "faux fancy!" I call recipes "faux fancy" that look and taste like they take a long time to make, when in reality, they don't take hardly anytime at all. This is a recipe that is fancy enough it could be served for guests at lunch, but still super easy to make.

Ingredients

Cooked chicken on white plate, open jar of pesto, sliced tomatoes, brioche buns, ball of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil plant. — Ingredients needed.

Chicken Breast - I prefer to use chicken breast that is free from added hormones and antibiotics, is free-range and is certified humane. However, if you cannot find chicken breast that fits that criteria, then any chicken breast will work for a grilled chicken sandwich.
Brioche Buns - Brioche buns are made from an “enriched” dough, similar to a croissant, which makes brioche bread eggy, buttery, and slightly sweet.
Pesto - If you enjoy making your own pesto then by all means, whip up your own batch of fresh basil pesto for this recipe. I don't always have the ingredients on hand for homemade pesto sauce though, so I always have a jar of DeLallo Simply Pesto Traditional Basil in my kitchen cabinets. DeLallo brand basil pesto can be found in the grocery store in the pasta aisle near the marinara sauces.
Mayonnaise - When it comes to choosing a brand of mayonnaise, I stick with Hellman's! Anytime I try a store brand mayo to save a couple of dollars, I am disappointed in the flavor and texture. I always choose low-fat Hellman's Mayonnaise to save a few calories.
Mozzarella Cheese - Originally I thought I would use an aged mozzarella for this recipe because aged mozzarella is lower in moisture. The low moisture content makes aged mozzarella easier to slice, cube and grate. I was worried that fresh mozzarella cheese, which is higher in moisture, would crumble as I was working with it. After a few attempts though, I found that fresh mozzarella worked great! I decided to stick with the fresh mozzarella since fresh mozzarella is what is traditionally used in Caprese salad.
Tomatoes - Choose a firm, ripe tomato. Make sure your tomato is not TOO ripe though. If it is too ripe, the tomato will not slice well and will release too much juice which could make the sandwich buns soggy.
Fresh Basil - Even though we are using basil pesto in this recipe, I found that the addition of fresh basil leaves added a tremendous amount of extra flavor. You cannot substitute dried basil for fresh basil though. If you do not have fresh basil then I would recommend simply leaving the ingredient out.

*See ingredient card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Equipment needed

Stovetop skillet or grill - This is needed to cook your chicken breast. You can use a grill to make a grilled chicken sandwich, or simply cook the chicken on the stovetop.
Cutting board & chopping knife - A knife and cutting board are needed to slice the mozzarella and the tomato. You will also need to slice the chicken breast and cut off any fat. You may want to use a plastic cutting board for that step. A sharp serrated knife is best for slicing a tomato.
Small mixing bowl - A small bowl is needed to mix the basil pesto mayo.

Step-by-step instructions

Season & cook- Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

Cooked chicken breast in a cast iron pan. — Chicken cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Make the spread- Mix the pesto and the mayo together to make the pesto mayo spread.

Small white bowl of basil pesto mayo spread. — Basil pesto mayo

Assemble the sandwiches - Spread the pesto mayo onto one side of the brioche bun. Place the chicken breast on the bottom half of the sandwich. Top with sliced tomato, slices fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. Serve the chicken caprese sandwich open-face or closed and enjoy!

Open face chicken sandwich with pesto mayo spread on one side of the open bun, on parchment paper, extra buns, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes are seen in the background. — Open-face assembled sandwich.

Optional step - Toast the brioche buns in melted butter or olive oil in a frying pan on the stove. The inside of the buns turn crispy and golden brown.

Variations

If you aren't a fan of brioche bread then you could swap the brioche out for a ciabatta roll, focaccia bread, sesame bun, sourdough bun or a good, thick slice of homemade style bread.

You could add a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the inside of your sandwich to get even more of the traditional caprese salad flavor. I think this sandwich would also be yummy with a slice of crispy bacon or an avocado mash.

Another option with this chicken sandwich is to make it into a panini!

Top tips

Use a really good bread! When you're making a gourmet sandwich, the bread needs to be top shelf.
Don't forget to season your chicken breast with salt and pepper! Even though the chicken will have lots of toppings when it's sandwiched between two slices of bread, it still needs a little bit of seasoning.
You can make this Caprese Chicken Sandwich any time of year, however I highly recommend making it in July when tomatoes and basil are in season!

Serving suggestions

I have a really extensive list of what to serve with chicken salad sandwiches that would also apply to this chicken sandwich! All of the options listed in that post would go really well with this grilled caprese chicken sandwich recipe.

My recipe for air fryer sweet potato fries would also be an excellent option.

A delicious broccoli cheddar soup always pairs well with a sandwich too!

Frequently asked questions

What is the origin of Caprese Salad?

Caprese salad originated in the island of Capri in the Gulf of Naples.

What is the difference between Bruschetta and Caprese?

Caprese is a simple Italian salad consisting of sliced tomato, sliced fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. The salad is normally seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer consisting of crusty, grilled bread that is usually rubbed with garlic and seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. The grilled bread is topped with a seasoned, tomato mixture.

Can I make this sandwich ahead of time?

You can make the grilled chicken ahead of time. You could also slice the tomato and slice the mozzarella in advance.