This Grilled Chicken Margherita recipe is a fresh and flavorful dinner made with juicy grilled chicken breasts, melted mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, garlic, and pesto. Perfect for summer grilling when you need a quick but satisfying meal!
If you have the time, kick up the flavor in this dish by using our Italian Chicken Marinade!
Why We Love This Grilled Chicken Margherita Recipe
This Grilled Chicken Margherita is a fresh and delicious grilling recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes! A favorite summer dinner recipe that is sure to be on your menu every week.
- Perfect for Summer Grilling: This chicken recipe is a favorite of ours when grilling season arrives. Grill the chicken breasts, melt the cheese and add the tomato topping right before serving.
- Bursting with Flavor: Juicy tomatoes with bright, herby pesto and melted mozzarella cheese go perfectly with grilled chicken.
- Family Friendly/Kid Friendly Recipe: Even if you can’t get the kiddos to eat the tomato topping, you can easily leave it off of their portion, or even serve it on the side.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Chicken Margherita
Grab those chicken breasts you have in your freezer and warm up the grill. You’re only going to need a few ingredients to get this chicken dinner together!
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: Regular size chicken breasts, not the thin sliced version for this recipe.
- Pesto: You can whip up our Basil Walnut Pesto or grab your favorite brand from the store.
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: Whichever type looks freshest and sweetest, any color will do.
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese: We do prefer the texture and flavor of fresh mozzarella for this recipe. Also fresh mozzarella melts quicker than regular mozzarella cheese, and we don’t want to burn the bottom of the chicken on the grill.
- Italian Seasoning: An easy grab with a ton of flavor, however you can use a blend of dried oregano and garlic powder if you only have that on hand.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: A little dusting of parmesan on top, right before serving. Don’t run out just for this ingredient though, it’s perfectly delicious without it.
- Olive Oil: We use olive oil to coat the chicken before seasoning it too keep it nice and juicy.
How To Make
Just a few steps and this chicken margherita will be ready for the grill! From start to finish (even if you make the pesto from scratch) this dinner is on the table in 30 minutes.
- Season the chicken: Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and then season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Grill the chicken: Grill the chicken over medium heat (about 400 degrees) for about 5 minutes on each side. This will depend on how thick the chicken is, so make sure the internal temperature reachers 165 degrees. Add sliced mozzarella to the chicken and close the lid for 2 minutes to let the cheese melt.
- Top and Serve: Cut the tomatoes into halves or fourths and toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Spoon 2 tablespoons of pesto on each chicken breast and top with the tomato topping. Garnish with parmesan cheese if you like, delicious, but optional.
What If I Don’t Have A Grill?
You can absolutely make this margherita chicken recipe if you don’t have a grill. All you need to do is cook the chicken in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (again, depending on the size of the chicken breasts – make sure you hit the internal temperature of 165 degrees) and then follow the recipe as it’s written.
Alternately, you can cook the chicken in an air fryer or in a skillet on the stove top, whichever is easiest!
Sides To Serve With Chicken Margherita
Since we have tons of fresh tomatoes oiled on top of this chicken, you could almost call it a meal in one. But we do love our side dishes, too, so here are a few of our favorites that go well with this recipe.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes
- Our Favorite Chicken Marinade
- Chicken Pineapple Kabobs
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Nuggets (copycat Chick Fil A)
- Chicken Souvlaki
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Grilled Chicken Margherita Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Grilled Chicken Margherita recipe is a fresh and flavorful dinner made with juicy grilled chicken breasts, melted mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil.
Ingredients
For the Tomato Topping
- 12 ounce package grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters (you’ll need about 2 cups chopped tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
For the Chicken
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 medium to large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 slices of fresh mozzarella
- Basil Walnut Pesto (or you can use store bought pesto)
Instructions
- Add the cut tomatoes to a bowl. Toss with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.
- For the chicken, mix the salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper together in a bowl. Rub the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the chicken.
- Preheat the grill to about 400 degrees. Grill the chicken for 7 minutes on the first side, flip and then cook for another 5 minutes on the second side. Cooking time will depend on how thick the chicken breasts are, make sure to cook to an internal temperature 165 degrees.
- Add 2 slices of mozzarella to each chicken breast. Close the lid and let the cheese melt, then remove the chicken from the grill.
- Top the warm chicken with the tomatoes and some of the olive oil and vinegar from the bowl. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Notes
Store: Store leftover chicken in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat: We like to scoop off the tomato topping before reheating so it stays cold. Slice the chicken into a few pieces so it reheats quickly. You can warm the chicken up in the microwave, just until warmed through, then add the tomatoes back on top or serve on the side.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
