Grilled Chicken Margherita

This super easy, Grilled Chicken Margherita is incredibly tasty and is ready in less than 30 minutes! Start with savory herb chicken and top it with with melty mozzarella cheese, pesto, and tomato basil garnish for a rave-worthy, quick and simple weeknight dinner.

More recipes to try next! Margherita Pierogies Skillet, Quick and Easy Margherita Pizza, and Chicken Parmesan.

In the mood to grill? Try Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce, the BEST 15-minute Steak Marinade, and Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa. 

I first made this chicken during our second kitchen remodel because, well, the oven was in the basement, so outside to the grill we went — every single day! This grilled chicken margherita is perfectly juicy and seasoned, topped with gooey, melty mozzarella cheese, 5-minute pesto (the BEST EVER!) and tomato basil relish.

This is one of the dishes that saved us then, and saves us time and time again when life gets busy or the kitchen is torn apart or I just need an easy, 30-minute, summery meal!

Why this Recipe Works

• Easy, fresh ingredients: made with chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and pesto (homemade or store bought), you can find all these ingredients year-round (though, admittedly, they are best in the summer).
  
• Great leftovers: grill once, eat again and again! Just leave the toppings off any extra chicken and add later, when you’re ready to eat!
  
• Easy substitutions: Use marinara if you don’t like pesto, or use store-bought pesto if you don’t want to make your own. (If, by chance, you’d like to make your own, my Easy Pesto recipe is just a click away!)
  
• Stays moist: The mozzarella cheese helps seal in the Italian seasonings and keeps the chicken from drying out, too! 

Here’s How you Make it

1. First, combine chicken, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Toss with tongs or your hands to combine. (photo 1)
2. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes on each side, or until it’s cooked all the way through. (photos 2-3)
3. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken, and cook for another minute or so until it’s melted over the top of the chicken breast. (photo 4)
4. In a clean bowl, toss together the tomatoes, lemon juice, and basil. (not pictured)
5. Top each chicken breast with about 3 tablespoons of pesto, a scoop of tomatoes, and some freshly cracked black pepper and serve. (photos 5-6)

What is Margherita Chicken?

This chicken dish is a popular one that features cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto. Think of a margherita pizza: you have pesto sauce (or marinara), topped with mozzarella hunks, and basil. So it’s like pizza on top of the chicken, except minus the crust, of course. 

Is it Margherita or Margarita?

It’s very easy to confuse these two words. Kind of like marsala (as in, Instant Pot Chicken Marsala,) and masala (such as my Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala.) (What is it with these similar-sounding “m” words, anyway?)

But “margherita” refers to the aforementioned pizza typically, while “margarita” refers to an alcoholic cocktail made with tequila and lime juice. 

What Do You Eat Pesto With? 

I personally love pesto on everything! In addition to a topping for chicken, (for a great chicken recipe, Creamy Pesto Chicken,) you can also use it in: 

• As a sauce for pasta. 
• As a dip for veggies.
• Swirled into a savory bread. 
• As a topping for sandwiches instead of the usual mustard, mayo, etc. (Don’t believe me? Try it yourself with these Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Sliders.)
• Used as a salad dressing. 
• As a substitute sauce for marinara in lasagna, like my Creamy Pesto Chicken Lasagna Rolls. 
• Scrambled into your eggs. 
• As a dip for roasted potatoes. 
• Instead of pizza sauce on a pizza. 
• As a garnish to finish off a hot, steaming bowl of Italian soup. (Like my Olive Garden Minestrone Soup copycat recipe for example.)

Expert Tips

• You can totally use store-bought pesto sauce in this recipe, but if you have five extra minutes, that’s all it takes to make my super easy, homemade basil pesto sauce. If you don’t have or don’t like pine nuts, you can use walnuts or cashews as well!
  
• I almost always use fresh-squeezed lemon juice in my tomato topping, because I think it has the best flavor. But, you might not have a fresh lemon laying around. If that’s the case, feel free to use bottled lemon juice or even lime.
  
• After placing the cheese on top of the chicken, I always close the grill lid to help the cheese melt faster and keep the chicken from drying out.
  
• I also like to use cherry tomatoes for the garnish because they are small and easy to cut. Plus, they taste so good and are in season right now. But you can use any kind of tomato you like, just be sure to dice it small enough to be able to top the chicken with.
• To make your own Italian seasoning for this chicken, simply combine 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme and sprinkle all over the chicken. 
• Swap out Italian seasoning for Herbs de Provence (one of my most favorite cooking tricks!).

More Quick and Easy Chicken Recipes

• Healthy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas,
• Easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken
• Mango Salsa Chicken
• Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice Foil Packs
• Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken

Did you make this recipe? I’d be thrilled if you would give it a rating!