Keto Caprese Chicken with Jowl Bacon and Raw Milk Mozzarella

My friends Jack and Christi made this dinner while tomatoes and basil were arriving in the quantities we expect in August. That is the right time for it.

The recipe begins with our bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Jack removed the bones but left the skin in place, then cooked the thighs in cast iron with Smoking Goose jowl bacon. Tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and vinegar make the warm dressing. Cubes of raw milk mozzarella go in at the end, where they soften without disappearing into the skillet.

This is not a traditional Caprese salad. It takes the basic idea of Caprese and turns it into a substantial dinner for four.

Download the printable Keto Caprese chicken recipe

Caprese Begins With a Place

The name Caprese means “from Capri.” The familiar salad is tied to the Italian island of Capri and is made from tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, salt and olive oil.

There are different accounts of who first assembled it and when. I do not think the origin story needs to be forced into certainty. The important part is that Caprese is a short list of ingredients tied to a place and a season.

Capri’s traditional cooking developed around ingredients that could be grown or found on the island. Tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, lemons and seafood were not decorations. They were the food available there. Caprese carries that same logic: use good tomatoes when they are ready, pair them with cheese and basil, and do not bury them under a complicated sauce.

Our version belongs to east-central Indiana rather than Capri. The chicken comes from our farm. The jowl bacon is made by Smoking Goose in Indianapolis. The raw milk mozzarella is made from grassfed Jersey milk from Kemps Organic Dairy in Indiana. The tomatoes and basil are the part that marks the season.

The Height of Tomato Season in Indiana

Tomatoes are available for much of the year now, but availability is not the same as season. In late summer, gardens and farm stands across Indiana are handling more ripe tomatoes than at any other point in the year.

That changes the way they should be cooked. A good tomato does not need honey or a packaged sauce. In this recipe, one cup of cherry tomatoes cooks in the warm olive-oil dressing until the skins begin to burst. The remaining half cup stays fresh and is added at the end with basil and two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.

Using tomatoes in both forms gives the skillet some body while keeping the fresh character of late-summer produce. It also means we can leave out the honey used in some versions of Caprese chicken. We did not replace it with an artificial sweetener. We simply left it out.

Why Jack Deboned the Chicken Thighs

Our Tyner Pond Farm pasture-raised chicken thighs are sold bone-in and skin-on. Jack removed the bones himself and kept the skin attached.

A deboned thigh lies flatter in a skillet. That gives the skin more contact with the cast iron and makes the finished chicken easier to divide at the table. Leaving the skin in place protects the meat and provides the browned surface that matters in this dish.

You do not need to debone them. The recipe includes directions for both versions. Deboned thighs can finish on the stovetop. Bone-in thighs need more time and finish well in a 400°F oven.

Our chickens are raised on pasture in mobile shelters that move daily to fresh ground. When a recipe uses only a few main ingredients, the chicken has nowhere to hide. That is one reason we prefer thighs with the skin left on.

Jowl Bacon and Raw Milk Mozzarella

Instead of prosciutto, this version uses Smoking Goose jowl bacon. Smoking Goose makes it in Indianapolis. Jowl bacon comes from the cheek rather than the belly, and it renders enough fat to begin cooking the chicken without adding another cooking oil.

If jowl bacon is unavailable, four ounces of regular bacon will work. Whichever bacon you use, check the label if avoiding added sugar is important to you.

For the cheese, we use raw milk mozzarella from Kemps Organic Dairy. It is made from grassfed A2A2 Jersey milk, aged for more than 60 days and sold in half-pound blocks.

The recipe uses six ounces, not the full eight-ounce block. That is enough cheese for four people once it is combined with the chicken, jowl bacon and olive oil. Using the entire block would not ruin the dish, but it would make the cheese more dominant than the tomatoes and basil. The remaining two ounces can go into eggs, a salad or another meal.

This aged raw milk mozzarella is firmer than the fresh mozzarella traditionally used in Caprese. Cut it into small cubes and add it after the skillet comes off the heat. Cover the pan for a minute or two so the cheese softens without fully melting.

Why This Works as a Keto Dinner

The useful parts of this recipe are already suited to keto eating: chicken thighs, jowl bacon, mozzarella, olive oil and herbs.

The common additions are where unnecessary carbohydrates enter. This version uses no honey, artificial sweetener, flour or bread. It keeps the tomatoes to 1½ cups, the shallot to two tablespoons and the balsamic vinegar to two teaspoons.

There is no need to replace the bread with a manufactured keto product. The chicken, bacon, cheese and olive oil make the meal substantial on their own. Roasted zucchini, asparagus or broccoli would be enough alongside it. A plain arugula salad would also work.

The estimated nutrition per serving is 34 grams of protein and 6 grams of net carbohydrates. Exact numbers will vary with the size of the thighs and the labels on the bacon, lemon-pepper seasoning, vinegar and cheese.

Keto Caprese-Inspired Chicken Thighs

Serves 4 | Prep time: 25 minutes | Cook time: 35 minutes

Estimated per serving: 34 grams protein | 6 grams net carbohydrates

Ingredients

• 4 Tyner Pond Farm bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, deboned if desired
• 4 ounces Smoking Goose jowl bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning, checked for added sugar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• Black pepper
• Sea salt, only if needed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ tablespoons champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, divided
• ¾ cup fresh basil leaves, divided
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 ounces Tyner Pond raw milk mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F if using bone-in thighs. Cook the jowl bacon in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer it to a plate, leaving about one tablespoon of rendered fat in the skillet.
2. Pat the chicken dry. Season it with the lemon pepper, sage and black pepper. Do not add salt yet because the bacon, seasoning and aged mozzarella may provide enough.
3. Lay the thighs skin-side down without crowding the pan. Work in batches if necessary. Press them flat for the first minute. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until the skin is deeply browned, and then turn the chicken.
4. For deboned thighs, continue cooking on the stovetop for 5 to 7 minutes. For bone-in thighs, transfer the skillet to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Cook either version to at least 165°F in the thickest part. Move the chicken to a plate to rest.
5. Whisk together the olive oil, your chosen vinegar, shallot, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes and half the basil.
6. Add one cup of the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and pour in the dressing. Simmer for about five minutes, stirring carefully, until the tomatoes soften and begin to burst.
7. Toss the remaining half cup of fresh tomatoes with the balsamic vinegar and remaining basil. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the warm tomato-herb oil over it.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat. Scatter the mozzarella cubes over and around the chicken. Cover for 1 to 2 minutes so the cheese softens without fully melting. Finish with the fresh tomato mixture and crisp jowl bacon. Taste before adding salt.

Ingredient note: Check the jowl bacon and lemon-pepper labels before describing the recipe as having no added sugar.

Food-safety note: Cook all poultry, including chicken thighs, to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.

Shop the Main Ingredients

• Tyner Pond Farm pasture-raised chicken thighs
• Smoking Goose jowl bacon
• Grassfed A2A2 raw milk mozzarella

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this with bone-in chicken thighs?

Yes. Brown the thighs skin-side down on the stovetop, turn them and finish them in a 400°F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Use a food thermometer and cook the thickest part to at least 165°F.

Do I need to debone the chicken thighs?

No. Jack deboned his so they would lie flat in the skillet and be easier to serve. Bone-in thighs work well and require less preparation.

Can I use regular bacon instead of jowl bacon?

Yes. Use four ounces of bacon and cook it until enough fat has rendered to brown the chicken. Check the ingredient label if you are avoiding added sugar.

Can I use wine vinegar in the tomato dressing?

Yes. Champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar and red wine vinegar all work. Apple cider vinegar is also an option. Use 1½ tablespoons.

Do I need the whole half-pound block of mozzarella?

No. Six ounces is enough for four servings. Save the remaining two ounces for eggs, a salad or another meal. If you prefer more cheese, the full block can be used, but it will make the dish heavier.

Is this the same as traditional Caprese salad?

No. Traditional Caprese is tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, salt and olive oil. This is a Caprese-inspired chicken dinner made with aged raw milk mozzarella and jowl bacon.

Is Keto Caprese chicken low in carbohydrates?

This version contains no bread, honey, flour or artificial sweetener. It has an estimated 6 grams of net carbohydrates per serving. The exact amount depends on the tomatoes and the labels on the seasoning, bacon, vinegar and cheese.

What should I serve with it?

Roasted zucchini, asparagus or broccoli are practical sides. A plain arugula salad also works. Some of the warm tomato-basil oil can be spooned over the vegetables.