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Fire up the grill for tender, juicy, flavor-packed grilled chicken topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh tomatoes, aromatic basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
Why This Recipe Is So Good!
- This recipe is a nice change from everyday grilled chicken.
- The juicy grilled and seasoned chicken breasts taste fantastic with the melty cheese and zing from the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
- You can make this entire recipe on your grill – no need to heat up the kitchen.
- Make this recipe a full meal by serving it with cooked pasta.
Ingredients
Chicken Breast – I use thin cut chicken breasts (not chicken cutlets but rather thin-sliced breasts) for this recipe. If you cannot buy thin breasts, simply slice 1 full chicken breast in half to get two thinner pieces.
Fresh Basil – This is a “must” have ingredient for this recipe. Dried basil will not work.
Mozzarella Cheese – I use the pre-sliced fresh mozzarella for this dish so I get equal amounts of cheese on each serving.
How To Make This Chicken Recipe
- Start by brushing both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and then salting and peppering them. Also, sprinkle both sides with dried Italian seasoning.
- Grill the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
- When the chicken is done cooking, turn off the grill, top the chicken with two slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, and close the lid for about 3 minutes until the cheese melts.
- While the chicken is on the grill, toss the diced cherry tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Slice the basil into thin ribbons and stir them to the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, place the chicken breasts on a platter, spoon the tomatoes on top of the cheese, and drizzle a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Garnish the dish with fresh basil leaves. I like to serve this dish with fresh pasta. In this case, I used cheese-filled ravioli that is seasoned with butter and olive oil, and a heavy-hand of black pepper. You could also put it on top of spaghetti with red sauce.
FAQs
Because it has the same ingredients that are in the traditional Italian salad which are fresh mozzarella cheese, juicy red tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
I highly recommend using a meat thermometer and grill the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°. At this temperature, you will have fully cooked chicken that is still juicy and tender. Let the chicken breast rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing.
I recommend transferring any leftovers to a refrigerator container with a lid. They will last for 2-3 days. To reheat, simply remove the lid and microwave for 1 minute at a time.
Krazy Kitchen Mom Tips
- If you don’t have a meat thermometer, I recommend buying one, especially during grilling season. There is nothing worse than overcooking chicken breasts. Overcooking them causes them to become dry and very tough.
- Leftover Grilled Chicken Caprese makes a fantastic sandwich. Slice a baguette, slice the chicken into smaller pieces, and stuff the baguette with the cheese-covered chicken slices and tomato-basil mixture. Drizzle it with a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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Grilled Chicken Caprese
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
For the Tomato Topping
- 3/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Brush both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil.
- Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Grill the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
- When the chicken is done cooking, turn off the grill, top the chicken with two slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, and close the lid for about 3 minutes until the cheese melts.
For the Tomato Topping
- While the chicken is on the grill, toss the diced cherry tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Slice the basil into thin ribbons and stir them to the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve
- To serve, place the chicken breasts on a platter, spoon the tomatoes on top of the cheese, and drizzle a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Garnish the dish with fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- I like to serve this dish with fresh pasta. In this case, I used cheese-filled ravioli seasoned with butter and olive oil, and a heavy-hand of black pepper. You could also put it on top of spaghetti with red sauce.
- Leftover Grilled Chicken Caprese makes a fantastic sandwich. Slice a baguette, slice the chicken into smaller pieces, and stuff the baguette with the cheese-covered chicken slices and tomato-basil mixture. Drizzle it with a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
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