There is nothing like simple and juicy grilled chicken! But how do you achieve this goal with lean, boneless chicken breast? It turns out to be as easy cutting your chicken thin and giving it a quick dip in a marinade. Try it and I think you’ll love this grilled balsamic chicken as much as we do!
Hello, all!
I couldn’t share my recipe for our house honey balsamic vinaigrette without also sharing a recipe using that dressing to marinate chicken! I mean I did go on in that post about how great it is for chicken and how much we loved it. It would have been mean not to post it. And I’m not mean. š
I know we are getting to the end of grilling season (though we keep going until the grill gets snowed in!), but this recipe for grilled balsamic chicken is so quick and easy you could make it tonight no problem. And no one told the weather grilling season is ending since we’ve been having 90s here and I’m all about not heating up the house right now.
Why is this recipe for grilled marinated chicken so great?
- You can use breasts or thighs. I’ve make both and they are both tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
- Quick. Since you are using boneless thighs or chicken cutlets, the meat is thin and takes up the marinade fast.
- Great for meal prep. The chicken pieces are the perfect size for sandwiches!
- Juicy. By salting the chicken and then covering it with a sweet and tangy marinade, you are actually brinerating* the chicken, making for juicier meat.
- Browning. The sugar in the honey and the balsamic mean that you will get amazing browning with this marinade.
And, yes, brinerate is a word! Marinating + brining = the best of both worlds.
How do you make grilled balsamic chicken?
To make grilled balsamic chicken use either boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breast cut into cutlets. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and marinate in balsamic dressing then grill until cooked through.
Prep the Chicken
For boneless thighs, just open them up.
For boneless breast, refer to the picture above and see that you cutting each breast into three pieces. First the pointy end, about 1/3 of the way up the breast. Then cut the other 2/3 of the breast into two thin pieces.
Brinerate (Brine and marinate)
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then spoon over the marinade. Get the chicken all coated and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Grill the marinated chicken
Heat up the grill, add the chicken, and (about 5 minutes later for cutlets or 12 minutes for thighs) you’ll have juicy grilled chicken.
More Quick Grilling Recipes
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers – great tapas or main course!
- Grilled Breaded Pork Chops – yes, you can bread and grill
- Grilled Sirloin Tip Steaks – simple and tasty
- Grilled Sicilian Swordfish – classic Mediterranean dinner
If you try my recipe for Grilled Marinated Chicken, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Grilling, Annemarie
Grilled Balsamic Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, or chicken thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
- chopped fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- If you are using boneless chicken thighs simply open them up and put them in a baking dish and move onto step 3.
- If you are using boneless chicken breast, you need to cut the breast into three equal cutlets for even and quick cooking. Cut the pointy end off of the breast about 1/3 of the way up for the first cutlet. Take the remaining 2/3 of the breast and cut it down the middle to make two thin cutlets. Each of the three cutlets should be about the same size. Place all the cutlets in a baking dish.
- Take your breast cutlets or thighs and sprinkle them evenly on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Pour or spoon over the balsamic dressing on the chicken. Spread it around so that it coats the chicken evenly.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. (If marinating for 30 minutes, keep the chicken on the counter. Refrigerate otherwise and take out the chicken 30 minutes before cooking.)
- Heat the grill on high.
- Grill the chicken on both sides, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 5-6 minutes for breasts and 12-14 minutes for thighs.
- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Notes
- Balsamic Vinaigrette: I use my recipe for mason jar honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing in the recipe. The sweetness of the dressing helps with the browning and the dressing is lightly salted so you won't have too much salt even with salting the chicken as well. Commercial dressing will likely have much more salt so keep that in mind if you are buying the dressing.
- Chicken Cutlets: You can also use the more traditional style of cutlets where you cut the chicken into two pieces instead of three. In that case, you will need to pound the cutlets to an even thickness since one end of the chicken is thicker than the other.
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