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Hello, summer and hellooooo grilled chicken Margherita! Tender, juicy chicken breast is paired with a garlicky sauce, pesto, jammy tomatoes, and melty mozzarella for an easy dinner packed with flavor.
Like its namesake Margherita pizza, this grilled chicken Margherita is all about the classic combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
Instead of layering the trio onto a crust, it’s added to grilled chicken. Is there anything more summery than that? (Okay, maybe watermelon popsicles or peach ice cream.)
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- If you prefer chicken thighs, you can use them in this grilled chicken Margherita recipe. I recommend using boneless, skinless thighs. (You’ll also love my air fryer boneless chicken thighs.) The safe cooking temp for thighs is also 165˚F.
- No grill? You can make the chicken in the air fryer following the guidelines in our air fryer chicken tenders without breading recipe.
- To keep the chicken from drying out, I recommend butterflying them if they’re thick. Cutting the chicken thinner will reduce the cooking time needed.
- An instant-read thermometer is the best way to make sure you don’t overcook your chicken. Since you’ll be finishing the chicken on the stovetop, you can remove it from the grill a touch early—at 160ºF instead of the usual 165ºF. It will come to temperature in the skillet.
- While I love using homemade pesto, store-bought is just fine! They can sometimes be oily though, so if needed, drain off some of the excess, then give it a good stir before adding it to the chicken.
Grilled Chicken Margherita
Hello, summer and hellooooo grilled chicken Margherita! Tender, juicy chicken breast is paired with a garlicky sauce, pesto, jammy tomatoes, and melty mozzarella for an easy dinner packed with flavor.
Equipment
- Grill/BBQ
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts {butterfly in half if they are thick)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp butter {salted or unsalted is fine}
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes {sliced in half}
- 3 cloves garlic {finely minced}
- 2 tbsp shallot {finely minced}
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan {optional}
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Pro tip: if the chicken breasts are thick, butterfly them in half to reduce the overall cooking time and to prevent them from drying out.2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- In a large mixing bowl combine olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Toss the chicken the seasoning mix.
- Grill chicken at 500˚F for 2 minutes on each side.
- Reduce the grill to 350˚F and cook until the internal temperature is 160˚F. Pro tip: the safe cooking temp for chicken is 165˚F, but you're finishing this chicken in a pan so you don't want to overcook them on the grill.
- Transfer grilled chicken to a plate and let it rest while you make the lemon garlic sauce.
- In a large deep skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat on the stovetop.3 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Add garlic, shallots, and lemon zest and stir until the garlic and shallots starts to soften, ~1 minute.3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp shallot
- Transfer the chicken to the skillet, and spoon the lemon garlic sauce over the top.
- Spread 1 tsp of pesto over the top of each piece of chicken, and then top with mozzarella cheese, and basil ribbons.1/3 cup pesto, 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons, 8 slices mozzarella cheese
- Add the grape tomatoes to the skillet.2 cups grape tomatoes
- Cover and cook the chicken and tomatoes until the cheese has melted and the chicken has reached 165˚F, ~2-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Notes
- Fresh mozzarella will melt more quickly than mozzarella sold in a loaf, the kind meant for pizza.
- Since you’ll be finishing the chicken on the stovetop, you can remove it from the grill a touch early—at 160ºF instead of the usual 165ºF. It will come to temperature in the skillet.
Homemade Italian Seasoning: 1/4 tsp dried parsley, 1/8 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried basil, 1/8 tsp dried tarragon, 1/4 onion powder, (optional) pinch of red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 347kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 33gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 532mgPotassium: 552mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 903IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 214mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This might be a dumb question but you add step 2 to the chicken before you grill it, right? And you don’t let the chicken marinate at all?
Not a stupid question, Leanna. I just re-read the instructions and they ARE unclear. I’ll go ahead and fix that now.
You will marinate the chicken in the marinade during step 3.
Love, love, love this recipe! Basil, tomatoes and mozzarella are always great, and it was all so good with the chicken. Whole family loved it.