Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Strawberry Caprese Salad – Looking for the perfect way to kick off the grilling season? Look no further than this exquisite sweet & savory recipe and a premium grill from a We Love Fire seller!
Thank you We Love Fire for sponsoring this post! Check out their full line of premium grills at welovefire.com .
June is finally here, and with it grilling season has FINALLY arrived, too! I’ve gotta be honest, I was getting tired of cold weather comfort foods. They’re awesome in their own right, but I’m so ready to move on to fresh summer produce and that perfect cut of meat sizzling on my grill.
Grilling is a state of being in my household. During the week Mr. Simple Seasonal and I plan out our cookout creations to ensure the best grilling experience. The creations always include fresh cuts of meat from a local farm. The sides we create include whatever freshly harvested produce we get from the crop share we have through a local farm.
Once we have our premium ingredients gathered we then grill and chill and drink beer or cocktails together. Our boys meanwhile run around screaming with the water hose and nerf guns. There’s usually some flinging of sandbox sand, too… Despite this, somehow the grilling (and perhaps the adult beverages) under the shade of our patio umbrella cause us to transcend the cacophony of parenthood.
Eventually the boys join us with red cheeks and settle into their seats under the umbrella and around our patio table. The promise of a tasty, grilled meal keeps them around long enough for a relaxing family dinner.
To kick off grilling season, Simple Seaonal and We Love Fire have brought you Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Strawberry Caprese Salad. Keep reading if you want to enjoy this juicy and fresh grilled chicken dinner on your patio!
Before you start grilling, you’re going to need to make sure you have all the proper tools for the job. Want to level up your grilling this summer? Then head over to welovefire.com and check out their premium grills.
There’s a We Love Fire seller just 4 miles from my house, and let me tell you, they are known in my town for selling the highest quality artisan grills. Owning one of their grills won’t only help you become a grill master, it will make you the neighborhood cookout envy!
My recipe for Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Strawberry Caprese Salad starts with the perfect grilled chicken. I use a sweet balsamic marinade, which caramelizes on the grill and keeps the chicken breast tender. That in it’s own right is delicious, but then I coat the chicken breast in a balsamic glaze and the end result is succulent and sweet.
I mentioned that I like to pair my grilled creations with fresh, local produce. Where I live in southeastern PA the beginning of June is strawberry season!
Balsamic vinegar paired with strawberries is one of my favorite savory ways to enjoy a strawberry. This simple and elegant strawberry caprese salad is the perfect way to bring those two flavors together. Add in the Grilled Balsamic Chicken and you’ve got a meal that is simply AMAZING!
This recipe is sophisticated enough to make Mr. Simple Seasonal’s and my grilling efforts well worth it. Yet the sweetness of the berries and the marinade tastes just plain good to even the youngest eaters around our patio table. A perfect start to the grilling season for all!
Need a new, premium grill? Find a We Love Fire Dealer in your area on the We Love Fire website.
Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Strawberry Caprese Salad
Looking for the perfect way to kick off the grilling season? Look no further than this exquisite sweet & savory recipe and a premium grill from a We Love Fire seller!
Ingredients
Grilled Balsamic Chicken
- 1/2 C olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 1/2 C balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 C light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
Balsamic Glaze*
- 2 C balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 C light brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Strawberry Caprese Salad
- 4 C strawberries, sliced
- 1 1/2 C small mozzarella balls, drained and sliced
- 1/2 C fresh basil, cut into ribbons
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- balsamic reduction from above
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Grilled Balsamic Chicken
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Submerge the chicken breasts in the marinade for 45 minutes to an hour. Do not over-marinate the chicken as it becomes tough if left in vinegar for extended periods of time.
- Preheat the grill to high heat and clean the grill as needed. Right before placing the chicken on the grill, reduce it to medium heat and lightly oil the grill grates with a high heat oil like vegetable or canola oil. Work quickly to get the chicken on the grill as placing the it on the extra hot grill grate will help you to get good grill marks.
- Over medium heat cover and grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and cover and grill for another 5-7 minutes. The chicken is done cooking once it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and lightly baste each chicken breast with about 1/2 Tbsp of the balsamic glaze (see below under “Balsamic Glaze" for instructions).
- Cover with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
(While the chicken is marinating prepare your Balsamic Gaze and your Strawberry Caprese Salad).
Balsamic Glaze*
- Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Next, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar lightly coats the spoon and is reduced to about 2/3 C, or a little less than half of the original volume.
- Remove from the burner, set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Reserve 2 Tbsp for basting the cooked chicken breast. Place the remainder into a dressing bottle for drizzling over the Strawberry Caprese Salad.
*Note that you can make your own balsamic glaze or you can purchase bottled preparations at your local grocery store to save on time.
Strawberry Caprese Salad
- Wash and slice the strawberries, discarding the stem. Slice small mozzarella balls so that you end up with 1 1/2 cups of slices. Cut the basil into ribbons by rolling the leaves and slicing (see the picture in the blog post to see how cut basil ribbons).
- Drizzle a serving plate with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 Tbsp of the balsamic reduction. Beautifully arrange the salad ingredients on a serving plate. Gently season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle with 1 more Tbsp of olive oil and about 1 tsp of the balsamic reduction just before serving. Place the remainder of the balsamic reduction on the table for people to add more to their plates as desired throughout the meal.
Notes
Serve this dish with the Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Strawberry Caprese Salad on the same plate, as they are delicious forked separately or together. Need to add a carbohydrate for a higher calorie meal? Also serve with a pine nut couscous mix or with some lightly buttered orzo.
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