This Grilled Bruschetta Chicken recipe is serious comfort food and ready in under 30 minutes. Don't you love Italian food?
And because this is grilled and not breaded and fried, you can have that slice or two of bread to sop up all that flavor left on your plate from the balsamic and chicken juices.
Or make this with my parmesan risotto recipe. SO good! And now I'm hungry for this all over again!
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Why This Recipe Works
This Grilled Bruschetta Chicken recipe is so easy, you can even make it on busy weeknights. Who else loves a main dish that can be on the table in under 30 minutes? Even when we lived up north, we used our grill all year long, not just in summer time!
While the grill is hot, toast that crusty bread to serve on the side. One less thing to worry about! And speaking of crusty bread, you've got to make this rosemary garlic bread recipe, perfect for scooping up this butternut squash pasta sauce with fettuccine!
If you haven't had my best Bruschetta recipe, you've got to try it! The tomato mixture is super easy to make! Mozzarella makes a wonderful bruschetta topping on bread, too. This Bruschetta with Mozzarella is heavenly. Both are perfect party appetizers.
I'm heading to Italy next month and plan to bring back a handful of recipes to try and share once I've perfected them! Have you been?
What You'll Need to Make It
To make this Grilled Bruschetta Chicken recipe, you'll need the following ingredients.
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Buying chicken that is already skinned and deboned means you'll have less waste. Chicken breasts are the healthiest option and turn out tender and juicy on the grill.
Fresh Tomatoes
Plum, also known as Roma tomatoes, are heartier than other tomatoes, but you could use any tomatoes. Even cherry tomatoes would work. The juicy tomato flavor is wonderful with the grilled chicken.
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
There really is nothing like fresh mozzarella cheese. In fact, I'd say not to make this with grated or shredded cheese unless you absolutely can't find fresh!
These main ingredients along with fresh basil, seasoning, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar will pull together the most delicious bruschetta chicken. See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Season chicken breast with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, and freshly grated black pepper. Cover and allow to rest on the counter as the grill heats, up to an hour. If you're prepping this for later, refrigerate the chicken until grilling.
Heat grill to medium-high heat.
Slice the tomato, slice the mozzarella, and chop the basil. These fresh ingredients are the stars of the show!
Grill chicken, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Test the chicken with a meat thermometer until the internal temperature reaches 165º.
Move the chicken to a platter and top each piece with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Using aluminum foil, tent the platter allowing the cheese to melt.
While the cheese is melting, place the remaining balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan with the brown sugar.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. As soon the vinegar mixture boils, immediately reduce the temperature to medium-low and reduce by half. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
If the sauce becomes too thick to spoon over the chicken, add a little water (2 teaspoons or so) and return to the heat. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken again. It won't take long.
To serve this grilled bruschetta chicken recipe, remove the tented foil and top the cheese with a slice of fresh tomato.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Enjoy while warm, though the leftovers are delicious cold the next day, too!
Tip: You should give your grill a light cleaning after every use. Leaving it for later just makes it more difficult! After the grates cool, take a bristle-free grill brush and scrape away any food particles.
Substitutions
You can use the following substitutions for this Grilled Bruschetta Chicken recipe:
- Chicken thighs or legs - instead of using chicken breasts, you can use chicken thighs or legs. I know my kids always preferred legs.
- Seasoning - make your own Italian seasoning with dried basil, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder, or use your favorite seasoning blend.
- Balsamic Glaze - making the sauce is super easy, but you can buy balsamic glaze to make it even easier for busy nights!
Variations
This chicken dish is such an easy recipe it will be one of your go-to meals. But I know my family gets tired of the same old same old. Switch this recipe up now and then with these delicious meal variations.
- Spicy - add red pepper flakes to the seasoning.
- Saucy - serve your favorite marinara sauce on top of the chicken instead of a slice of tomato.
- Make it a Sandwich - serve the chicken on a toasted sub roll.
How about keeping with the Italian theme for dessert with this easy biscotti recipe?
Equipment
We use a Napoleon gas grill. It's an investment that has been so worth it. Their customer service is the best! Using a charcoal grill is fun on occasion, too, like we did this time, and you can pick one up for under $100.
Best tip
My best piece of advice for you in making this recipe is to not overcook the chicken. Especially with chicken breasts, they can so easily overcook making them dry and rubbery. Use that meat thermometer and you'll never overcook!
FAQ
For leftovers, store the grilled bruschetta chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You can freeze the leftover chicken, but remove the tomato before storing. Just add a fresh slice after thawing overnight and warm in oven.
There are so many possibilities! Fresh spinach or broccoli sautéed with fresh garlic would be wonderful. Zucchini spirals would be good, too.
Recipe
Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Equipment
- Grill
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinless, boneless, trimmed of excess fat
- 10 tablespoons balsamic vinegar divided
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 plum tomato large
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 6 leaves fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the grill to medium-high heat.
- Slice the tomato, slice the mozzarella, and chop the basil.
- Grill the chicken, uncovered, for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Test the chicken with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 165º.
- Move the chicken to a platter and top each piece with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Using aluminum foil, tent the platter allowing the cheese to melt.
- While the cheese is melting, place the remaining balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan with the brown sugar.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. As soon the vinegar mixture boils, immediately reduce the temperature to medium-low and reduce by half. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- If the sauce becomes too thick to spoon over the chicken, add a little water (2 teaspoons or so) and return to the heat. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken again. It won't take long.
- To serve the grilled bruschetta chicken, remove the tented foil and top the cheese with a slice of fresh tomato.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Enjoy while warm, though the leftovers are delicious cold, too!
- Tip: You should give your grill a light cleaning after every use. Leaving it for later just makes it more difficult! After the grates cool, take a bristle-free grill brush and scrape away any food particles.
Notes
My best piece of advice for you in making this recipe is to not overcook the chicken. Especially with chicken breasts, they can so easily overcook making them dry and rubbery. Use that meat thermometer and you'll never overcook! Though creating the sauce is super easy, to make this recipe even easier, buy balsamic glaze giving you one less thing to make!
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