Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts • Moist, Tender and SO Delicious!

If you think chicken breasts are dry and bland, think again! This Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts recipe yields golden-brown, juicy-tender, crazy-delicious results with minimal effort. The optional Salmoriglio sauce is the crowning glory!

I've been working on this Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts recipe for the past several weeks... tweaking, testing, tasting... tweaking, testing, tasting. Scott can testify that we've gone through a LOT of chicken breasts but I'm super happy with the results and I think you will be too!

I mean, what's not to love about golden brown, super tender chicken that's bursting with fabulous Italian flavor? In addition to all that, the chicken makes delicious leftovers, sliced thin, for salads, sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, paninis... or whatever your heart desires!

Two in one - a marinade/basting sauce

The marinade for these Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts is simple but unique with each ingredient adding an additional layer of flavor. The cast of characters includes olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, lemon zest, Italian seasoning, fresh rosemary, brown sugar, kosher salt and black pepper. A portion of the marinade is set aside and used as a basting sauce.

I love that almost all of the work for this recipe (which isn't a lot) can be done ahead. The chicken can marinate for as little as 30 minutes and as long as 24 hours. Then simply heat the grill to medium and allow 8-10 minutes to complete the cooking and another few minutes for resting. Then it's time to enjoy the most delicious chicken you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting!

How to serve these Italian Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts

I love to serve this chicken with pasta, the prettiest fresh tomatoes I can find and a generous drizzle of our Salmoriglio sauce.

You can read all about this delicious Italian Salmoriglio sauce in this post but for a condensed, capsule description, I call it, " a bright, vibrant lemon herb sauce that's fabulous on chicken, seafood, pork, steak, eggs, veggies... you name it!"

I've also paired these Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts with mashed potatoes or forbidden rice. A side of steamed French green beans or a simple green salad (pictured below) is delicious!

As I said in the beginning of this post, these Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts are not bland, dry or boring! Try them and, when you take the first bite and the rave reviews come rolling it, you'll see just what I mean!

Cafe Tips for making these Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts

• The marinade time for this recipe can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as overnight (24 hours). I've done 30 minutes with good results but, if you have more time, go for it!
• You can also purchase chicken breasts, put them in a ziplock bag with the marinade and freeze them. When you're ready to thaw, you'll be one step ahead!
• Although I don't shop exclusively organic, I do like to buy organic chicken breasts as they tend to be smaller, more tender and not loaded with antibiotics.
• If I can't buy organic, I look for smaller chicken breasts. I think they're more tender and they're also nicer for serving, especially if you plan to serve one per person.
• This recipe doesn't indicate the number of chicken breasts you'll need but rather the total weight as chicken breasts can vary so much in size.
• This recipe doesn't indicate the number of chicken breasts you'll need but rather the total weight as chicken breasts can vary so much in size.
• This recipe calls for just 1 tablespoon of tomato paste which adds an additional layer of flavor and, in combination with the balsamic vinegar, gives the chicken a pretty color. If I just need a small portion of tomato paste, I like to use the kind that comes in a tube. I can squeeze out just what I need and the rest keeps nicely for weeks in the refrigerator. You can usually find the tubes in the same area of the grocery store where the other tomato products are stocked.
• Don't skip the brown sugar! It's just a tablespoon and it brings all the other flavors together.
• Two-thirds cup of olive oil sounds like a lot but you need that much for a good marinade and brushing sauce. There will be a decent amount of oil that you will discard after the chicken is marinated but don't skimp on it.
• The nutritional information for this recipe includes all of the oil so the fat and calorie counts will, in reality, be much less.

Thought for the day:

Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing. 
Isaiah 40:26

What we're listening to for inspiration:

How Great Thou Art

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Italian Grilled Chicken

Chris Scheuer

If you think chicken breasts are dry and bland, think again! This Italian Grilled Chicken Breasts recipe yields golden-brown, juicy-tender, crazy-delicious results with minimal effort. The optional Salmoriglio sauce is the crowning glory!

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Marinade time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories 450

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

.5x1x2x

For the marinade:

• ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken:

• 2-2 ½ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

 

For the marinade/basting sauce:

1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade and set aside for grilling. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large ziplock bag. Add the remaining marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal well. Massage the bag for about 30 seconds to coat each piece with the oil mixture.
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

When ready to grill:

1. Preheat the grill to medium (about 400˚F) Clean and oil the grates well.
2. Gently shake the marinade off of each piece of chicken and place them on the grill. Discard the remaining marinade. Cook for 3-4 minutes until light golden brown on the side facing the grill. The chicken should release easily from the grill. Flip to the other size and brush with the reserved marinade.
3. Cook for another 2-3 minutes then flip again and brush with the oil. Continue flipping and brushing every minute until the internal temperature is 155˚F with an instant thermometer. Remove from the grill to a clean plate and tent with foil for 5-8 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success. If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it. ***The nutritional information includes all of the oil so the fat and calorie counts will actually be a fair amount less.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 40gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 728mgPotassium: 759mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

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Course: Grilled Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Italian-Inspired