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Grilled Chicken Margherita

4.96 from 229 votes
Grilled Chicken Margherita | lecremedelacrumb.com
Easy, healthy grilled chicken margherita topped with melted mozzarella cheese, pesto, and tomato basil garnish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings:4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to less than 1 inch thickness
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, (OR ½ teaspoon dried oregano + ¼ teaspoon dried basil + ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 4 slices mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup basil pesto , (try my Easy 5 Minute Pesto Recipe - it's the best!!) https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/easy-5-minute-pesto-15-ways-to-use-it/
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup packed basil leaves, very thinly sliced
  • cracked black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine chicken, salt and pepper, olive oil, garlic power, and Italian seasoning. Toss to combine.
  • Grill chicken over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of mozzarella cheese and cook another minute or so until melted.
  • Toss tomatoes, lemon juice, and basil together. Top each chicken breast with about 3 tablespoons pesto, a scoop of tomatoes, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • You can absolutely use store-bought pesto sauce in this recipe, but if you have five extra minutes (you do!) I highly recommend my super easy homemade basil pesto. You can easily sub out the pine nuts for another nut like cashews or walnuts too!
  • 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.
  • 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 OR swap out Italian seasoning for Herbs de Provence (one of my favorite cooking tricks for boosting flavor!).

Nutrition

Calories: 403 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 32 g, Fat: 28 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 97 mg, Sodium: 601 mg, Potassium: 496 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g, Vitamin A: 950 IU, Vitamin C: 6 mg, Calcium: 209 mg, Iron: 1 mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Tiffany