Baked Balsamic Glazed Chicken Caprese

This recipe is super easy  to put together on busy weeknights.  I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. The balsamic glaze is very simple to make, but you can buy balsamic glaze if you prefer. I use light brown sugar for the balsamic glaze, but you can use 1 T of honey as well. Just let it reduce to a thickened glaze to  drizzle over the chicken.

Baked Balsamic Glazed Chicken Caprese

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4-6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
12 fresh basil leaves, julienned
balsamic glaze (recipe follows)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. I a small bowl, mix together the olive oil ( or melted butter), basil, oregano , pepper,  and salt .
3. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish and brush the olive oil mixture over the chicken .
4. Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Top each chicken breast evenly with shredded cheese, halved tomatoes and julienned basil. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
5. Serve hot.

Balsamic Glaze
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
2 T packed light brown sugar or 2 T honey

In a small saucepan , bring the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar (or honey)  to a low boil until it has been reduced by half . About 8-10 minutes . Cool completely.