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Winner, winner, chicken dinner! This simple grilled margarita chicken is fast and easy to make and tastes even better! The flavor of grilled chicken and freshness from the basil pesto, fresh tomatoes and balsamic glaze make for one flavorful dish!
Table of Contents
Step 1: Prep the chicken
For this recipe I used chicken breasts that I pound in a ziplock bag to even out the thickness throughout. Not only does this help cook the protein faster, it cooks evenly. To add extra flavor to this Italian inspired dish, I used Italian dressing for my marinade. It’s a great way to use up salad dressing without it going to waste after 6 months in the fridge. Marinade the chicken breast in the dressing for at least 30 minutes while you prep the pesto and tomatoes.
Slice cherub tomatoes into quarters or eights – depending on their size. Season with a little bit of salt and set aside. You want to make sure the tomato pieces are small enough to have with each bite but not large enough that it overwhelms the star of the dish which is the chicken.
Next, take 3-4 basil leaves without the stems and chop into small strings. Those will be used later for the final dressing of the dish.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Step 2: How to make homemade Pesto:
In a blender, add fresh basil with stems removed, pine nuts, olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic some grated parmesan. Blend the ingredients together until the pesto and pine nuts are finely minced.
Step 3: Time to grill the chicken
For this cook, I decided to use my weber griddle Set the temp to 350 degrees for direct heat. Same applies if you are using a regular grill.
Add some grease to the flat top and it’s time to get that marinaded chicken on the grill top breast side down first. Season with Italian seasoning and flip to the other side repeating the process. Once the breast side is facing up, place a few slices of mozzarella cheese on top and let it melt while the chicken is getting to temp. Total cook time is about 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
When the chicken is just shy of 165 degrees, spread some of the homemade pesto on top of the cheese. The heat will enhance the basil and garlic flavors as the sauce covers the cheese. Remove the grilled chicken breast off the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.
It’s not a grilled margarita chicken with out fresh tomatoes. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the chopped cherub tomatoes, sprinkle some chopped fresh basil and drizzle balsamic glaze over the top. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
All my recipes can be replicated in the oven, stove top or gas grill. You do not need a big green egg or weber grill to replicate any of my recipes.
Printer friendly recipe
Grilled Margarita Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 16 oz Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 12 slices Mozzarella cheese
- 5 oz Cherub tomatoes
- 1 cup Basil leaves – remove stems
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup Grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Pine nuts
- 1 tbsp Balsamic glaze – optional
Instructions
- Pound chicken breast in ziplock bag to even out the thickness of the meat.
- In a bowl, cover the chicken breast with Italian dressing. Marinade it for at least 30 minutes.
- Slice cherub tomatoes into quarters or eights -depending on their size. Season with a little bit of salt and set aside.
- Take 3-4 basil leaves without the stems and chop into small strings and set aside.
- For the pesto: in a blender, add fresh basil with stems removed, pine nuts, olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic some grated parmesan. Blend the ingredients together until the pesto and pine nuts are finely minced.
- Set the temp to 350 degrees for direct heat. Same applies if you are using a regular grill.
- Add some grease to the flat top and it's time to get that marinaded chicken on the grill top side down first.
- Season with Italian seasoning and flip to the other side repeating the process.
- place a 3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the grilled chicken breast and let it melt while the chicken is getting to temp.
- When the chicken is just shy of 165 degrees, spread some of the homemade pesto on top of the cheese.
- Remove the grilled chicken breast off the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Total cook time is about 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the chopped cherub tomatoes, sprinkle of the the chopped fresh basil and drizzle balsamic glaze over the top.
Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!
