Easy Peasy Baked Chicken Caprese

FINALLY!!! I’m posting a food recipe on a food blog! Movers be damned, they still haven’t delivered my stuff, but enough was enough, I had to improvise. Kieran bought cheap plates so I would have something cute to photograph my food on. Paper plates serve their purpose, but they just don’t photograph well.

Supposedly, our stuff is ACTUALLY on a truck and headed this way. With any luck we’ll have our things by the weekend. Here’s hoping the moving company does completely jack up our move and destroy the majority of our stuff. To be continued…

Buuuuut, no sense in continuing to bitch about what I can’t control at this point. I want to move onto a subject that’s more fun…..exploring Portland!

In the last few weeks Kieran and I have spent hours biking around Portland, and loving every minute of it. A couple weekends ago, we rode our bicycles to The Grotto (a religious sanctuary, not the Playboy jacuzzi) on the NE side of Portland. Know, I’m an atheist, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the beauty and serenity of a religious sanctuary. If I did believe in God, I would certainly want to worship at The Grotto as it’s truly an angelic sight to see.

The weather was gorgeous the day we visited, the sun peaked it’s beams through the tall trees onto the wooden pews that faced an altar carved out of the stoney hill. Located on top of the hill is the botanical garden that is handicap accessible by elevator. Well manicured walking paths wove around the gardens revealing chapels, statues, and areas where you can meditate and reflect on life. Even if you’re a nonbeliever of God, like me, I highly recommend paying The Grotto a visit.

This past weekend, Kieran and I didn’t get the chance to bike outside during the day a lot, because the weather has been HOT. Portland has been hovering around 100 degrees for the past few days, which doesn’t make for pleasant hiking/biking weather. BUT despite the heat, Kieran talked me into participating in the World Naked Bike Ride this past Saturday night.

I won’t go into detail since this is a food blog and I don’t want anyone to lose their appetite 😉 But the ride was exhilarating and amusing. I didn’t show the Full Monty but I was brave enough to show off the twins. I was REALLY nervous about the WNBR until we meet up with the other participants in the park. It’s hard to be nervous taking your top off, when thousands of people around you are naked too. My anxiety stemmed from the fear of being oggled, or touched, by an over zealous participant, but the Naked Bike Ride put my fears to rest.

Everyone was respectful and courteous, so I felt safe the entire time. When dusk fell, the Naked Bike Ride commenced down the chosen route. As the naked bicyclist shoved off to begin the ride, the spectators, lining the streets, clapped, cheered, and shouted words of encouragement as we whized by. My heart, or perhaps a better word for it, bosoms, swelled with pride, as they flapped in the warm night’s breeze. Kieran and I took turns riding close to the sidewalk, high-fiving onlookers who were supporting us. The World Naked Bike Ride was a unique, liberating, and joyous experience I also recommend you try.

Sooooo…what did we learn today boys and girls? Shock Munch is written by an Atheist who loves to tool around Portland on her bicycle, naked.

I welcome any reader who accepts my lifestyle with open arms. For any other reader who believes I’m a dirty dirty sinner and wishes to never come back….I bid you a respectful farewell.

If you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you have come to the realization my segues from life stories to food massively suck. So, without any further adieu, here’s the recipe!!

Hands down, my “Easy Peasy Baked Chicken Caprese” recipe is the simplest chicken dinner I’ve made yet. I don’t typically post chicken breast type recipes because chicken breasts are a bitch to photograph in my opinion. They taste good, but I haven’t figured out how to make them look pretty on a plate.

But seriously, you won’t care if this dinner isn’t the prettiest dish you ever plate up, it’s simple, quick, and tasty.

I’ve seen food recipe after food recipe that makes chicken caprese with some sort of balsamic sauce. If you want to make a balsamic sauce, go ahead, I’m sure it will taste phenomenal but if you’re feeling lazy, don’t bother, the recipe is good enough without it. Shit, even drizzling your favorite store bought balsamic dressing will do the trick if you have a hankering for balsamic.

What’s that? You look at my pictures and think I’ve done something wrong, as you can’t see any mozzarella cheese? Fear not dear reader….this recipe features mozzarella cheese, but you can’t see it since it’s stuffed inside the chicken breast. Also note, I used mozzarella sticks for this recipe, only because it’s what I had on hand.

Any type of mozzarella cheese you use will taste great, so use what you have in the fridge or purchase your favorite brand of mozzarella cheese. I assume parents buy mozzarella sticks in bulk for their kid’s, so feel free to use them up, they taste wonderful in this chicken dinner.

This dinner takes about 30 minutes to prepare, so it’s perfect for a busy weeknight meal. So take advantage of the fresh tomatoes and basil this season, and whip up this extremely easy and good tasting meal.

Happy summer-ing everyone!