It’s obvious that I love food. I have spent the past 5 years creating and filming recipes, trying new ones, and improving others. Over the years, we have our favorites. Some dishes are surprisingly bad, others are surprisingly good. My favorite moments are when you take the first bite, and the flavors come together so well, you just can’t wait for the next one!
This Grilled California Chicken dish gave us that exact experience. On paper, it is not an overly complicated dish. But when you let the marinade really set in, you season the tomatoes and grill them both the right way, it is the perfect weeknight dish.
Of course, a little sunny weather doesn’t hurt either!
To round this one out, we served it with some light butter Parmesan noodles (pasta). I am sure there are plenty of other sides you can pair them with, but based on how delicious it was, I won’t change a thing when we make it again.
As always, I will now walk through a few of the key ingredients and cooking tips to help you crush this meal and be the dinner time hero:
- Chicken – For this recipe, I definitely prefer chicken breasts. We like to slice them in half so they cook through while still holding that golden crust. You can also use the little chicken tenders; they just add a little more effort since you have more pieces to grill
- Marinade – the marinade itself is very easy to put together. The key (like most other recipes) is allowing it enough time to actually penetrate the chicken. 1.5 hours was perfect for us. If your chicken is a little thicker, I would let it go a little longer.
- Blistered Tomatoes – Add your cherry tomatoes to a skewer. Drizzle on some olive oil and lightly season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. While the chicken cooks, add these to the grill and cook them until they start to blister. These are a secret highlight to this dish!
- Avocado – The fresher the better. Slice it into small pieces and make sure to get a piece in every bite!
- Mozzarella – I chose to shred my mozzarella cheese, but you could also add a thicker slice of fresh mozzarella to yours. It really all depends on your preference and a little bit on the thickness of your chicken!
- Fresh Basil & Balsamic Vinegar – The final pieces to the puzzle that really round this dish out. A light drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some finely chopped fresh basil.
See below for full measurements and cooking instructions!
If you make this, please leave a comment or rate the recipe below! Also, feel free to leave a comment with anything else you want me to make! I love putting my spin on classic recipes or creating new ones!
Equipment
- Grill
- Metal skewer
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
- 2-4 chicken breasts
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- The toppings:
- cherry tomatoes roasted and seasoned, details below
- mozzarella
- avocado
- fresh basil
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- For the marinade, add the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to a bag and then add the chicken breasts.
- Shake it all together to mix and marinate for 1.5 hours.
- When you are ready to eat, fire up the grill and cook the chicken for 3-5 mins per side (depending on thickness).
- After the first flip, add the shredded mozzarella cheese onto the chicken
- While the chicken cooks, add your cherry tomatoes to a skewer and season with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
- Grill the tomatoes while the chicken cooks (for about 5 minutes until they start to blister)
- Remove the chicken once it reaches 167° and let it rest for a few minutes.
- Top with tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar
- Enjoy!
