Grilled Chicken Caprese

Happy Friday everyone!   I hate to the be the bearer of bad news, but can you believe the end of July is upon us?   Summer is whizzing by in the blink of an eye.  We are trying to take advantage of all that summer has to offer, though a few activities still remain on our 'to do' list.  On the other hand, we certainly are taking every opportunity to grill (something we did not do once last summer, back when I was still working, and we were stuck in our pizza/pasta/p'eggs routine).   

In any case, we are having a great summer here at Alida's Kitchen, and I hope you are too!

After making Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes, I developed an appreciation for the delicious flavor of grilled tomatoes. So when I saw a Caprese Chicken recipe that grilled the chicken AND the tomatoes, it went on my 'must make' list immediately!   

Grilled Chicken Caprese is a simple weeknight (or quick weekend meal) that takes little effort and yields an impressive result.  First you make the marinade.  Then marinate slices of the fresh mozzarella (yum!).  While the cheese is marinating, you grill the tomato slices and chicken cutlets, which takes about 5 minutes.  Last, simply put everything together, let it sit a little bit if you can, and then eat!

The result is a delicious Caprese-inspired grilled chicken dish that is quick and easy to make. The original recipe states it takes 30 minutes, which sounds about right...but that includes eating time! :)  Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Grilled Chicken Caprese
Yields 4 servings

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vingar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
4 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices, halved and patted
4 chicken breast cutlets (or butterflied chicken breast halves)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8 tomato slices (2-3 tomatoes), cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1. Make marinade/dressing: whisk together basil, vinegar, garlic and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste preference.
2. Take 2 tablespoons of the marinade and pour over mozzarella slices, turning the slices to make sure cheese is coated.  Set aside.
3. Pat chicken dry and then drizzle about a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on each side of chicken cutlet and season with pepper.
4. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and spray grates with cooking spray or rub with oil. 
5. Grill chicken and tomatoes until chicken is thoroughly cooked and browned and tomatoes are slighly charred (about 2 minutes per side).
6. Transfer chicken to platter and top each cutlet with 2 tomato slices.  Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and top with mozzarella.  Cover with an inverted plate or tented foil and let sit for 5 minutes (up to 10 minutes, if you can wait that long).  Serve.  

Adapted from Cook's Country, August/September, 2011