Pesto Marinated Grilled Chicken

Grilled chicken covered in warm, gooey pesto... my idea of a yummy dinner! Delicious meal that uses only 6 ingredients. Marinate at least 30 minutes ahead and dinner will be amazing!

Pesto Marinated Grilled Chicken

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 – 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

Equipment needed:

Medium mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Citrus juicer or reamer
Measuring spoons
Liquid and dry measuring cups
Grill or grill pan
Tongs

Summer grilling is my favorite way to cook and probably yours! In the winter, I love my grill pan too... still get that crusty brown goodness indoors. Chicken has pretty boring meal appeal all by its self, so sauces, marinating or some sort of color/flavoring are vitally important. I grow basil in my garden every year and always have an amazing crop. I love the flavor of basil. Basil is an ingredient in many recipes and I dry it or make large batches of pesto. Pesto freezes well for winter use too. You can find my recipe for Perfect Pesto from a post last summer and make some too! I package the pesto in 1 – 2 cup portions, which is usually the amount needed for most sauces or in this recipe... the marinate. Gather your six ingredients and let’s make chicken!

This recipe is super simple to prepare and can be made way ahead of time too. I usually make my pesto marinade and let the chicken marinate all day, or if last minute... 30 minutes will do too! If your chicken breasts are quite large, begin by butterflying your chicken breast to create pieces a maximum of 1-inch thick. Try to keep them relatively equal in thickness to ensure they cook evenly. A thinner breast will also allow the marinate to penetrate the chicken and infuse more flavor. In small bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the chicken. If using fresh lemons, roll them first, cut lemons in half and then juice each half, being careful to remove the seeds. One lemon usually yields 3-4 tablespoons of juice. I occasionally use bottled juice too or a combination of both depending on what I have on hand. Stir all the ingredients well and pour the marinade over the chicken breasts. Using your hands, massage the chicken with the pesto marinade until well coated, as shown above. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. You are done with prep! Yes... that was easy!

When ready to grill the chicken, place marinated coated chicken directly on a preheated grill or on a grill mat. I have started using a copper grill mat and I LOVE it! No more messy grill and the chicken browns in the marinade. Doesn’t fall off into the grill and you still get great grill marks too! Grill chicken over a medium hot grill or a preheated grill pan. Chicken, or any meat, is more tender when the protein cooks slowly. Grill chicken for approximately 6 – 8 minutes per side. The thinner the chicken breast, the quicker it will cook at a lower temperature too.

Doesn’t your chicken smell and look wonderful? Talk about meal appeal! Serve your chicken over my Creamy Risotto with a few green spring veggies, like asparagus, peas and artichoke hearts. Your dinner will be fabulous... Enjoy!