This grilled bruschetta chicken recipe will forever change the way you think of summer grilling! Juicy marinated grilled chicken breasts are topped with a homemade cherry tomato bruschetta topping. It’s jam packed with rich Italian flavors, and it’s all Paleo, Whole30, and Low Carb!
👨🍳 About the Dish
Date night dinner on the patio! This grilled bruschetta chicken is absolutely out of this world and it’s perfect for a special meal, guests, or a fun and easy weeknight dinner.
Made with marinated chicken breasts, tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, it’s bursting with bright, classic Italian flavors. Best of all, it’s Paleo and Whole30 compatible, and you can make the chicken on the grill, stovetop or air fryer!
💡 Fast Facts:
- The proper way to pronounce bruschetta is brew-SKET-tuh. I studied Italian for 5 years and mispronouncing this word was a pet peeve for my teacher, ha!
- In Italy, bruschetta refers to toasts with toppings. In America, we tend to talk about bruschetta as the classic tomato-basil mixture, but that’s actually bruschetta al pomodoro (pomodoro translates to tomato).
🍅 Ingredients
Marinated Chicken Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I buy my chicken from Porter Road).
- Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
- Italian Seasoning. Use my homemade Italian Seasoning recipe or your favorite store-bought blend!
- Tomato Bruschetta. The full recipe for homemade bruschetta topping is below, but if you’d like to save some time or skip a step, you can buy a container of pre-made bruschetta in the refrigerator aisle at most grocery stores (I sometimes buy it at Walmart).
I think the most beautiful thing about this bruschetta chicken recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients. They’re classic, fresh, and there’s nothing that brings magic to a dish quite like fresh basil and garlic!
In the summertime, I almost always have everything I need already – especially once my garden is at its peak – but they can all be found at pretty much any grocery store.
Bruschetta Ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes. I prefer to use cherry tomatoes since they tend to be crisp and flavorful, even when they’re out of season. You can use Roma tomatoes or pretty much any other kind of fresh tomato, but if the tomatoes are especially seedy, scoop out the seeds.
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Basil
- Pantry items: Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
You won’t believe how simple this recipe is to make, even for novice home cooks. I’m walking you through how to make it right here, right now!
Marinate the Chicken
Drizzle the chicken breasts with the oil, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Turn the chicken over a few times to make sure it’s coated on all sides, then set it aside to marinate for about 30 minutes. Marinating chicken will tenderize it and make it more flavorful, so whatever you do, don’t skip this step!
➡️ How long to marinate chicken? Marinate chicken breasts for at least 20-30 minutes, and up to 18 hours covered in the refrigerator. Don’t let chicken marinate longer than 24 hours or it will actually begin to work in reverse and toughen the meat.
Make the Tomato Bruschetta Topping
While the chicken is marinating, take that time to pour yourself a drink, grab a cutting board, and make the bruschetta topping.
Quarter the tomatoes and mince the garlic, red onion, and basil. I like to quickly sauté the garlic to take a little bit of the harsh bite out, but if you like raw garlic, that works too! The vinegar in the bruschetta will help to mellow it a bit once it’s all mixed together either way.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, and season to taste. Cover and set it in the fridge while you cook the chicken (that’s next!).
❓ Can I make bruschetta in advance? Absolutely! In fact, giving the the flavors a chance to meld together makes it even better! Simply make the bruschetta topping, cover, and store it in the refrigerator up to a day in advance.
Cook the Chicken & Serve
You know I love grilling, but sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, I’m out of propane, or just feel like cooking indoors. You can cook the chicken on a grill, in a skillet on the stove top, or in the air fryer, whatever works best for you. Here’s how to do it:
- Grill: Cook the chicken on a preheated, well-oiled grill over medium heat, about 375°F (~190°C). Turn the chicken once to
- Stove Top: Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 12-14 minutes, turning once halfway through, until cooked.
- Air Fryer: Cook the chicken breasts in a preheated air fryer for about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.
🌡️ Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of meats. The minimum safe cooking temperature of chicken is 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and top with a generous amount of the bruschetta topping. Drizzle with a little extra balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, a sprinkle of flakey sea salt, and more fresh basil.
The last thing you need to do? Dig in! Serve the chicken right away and enjoy!
📝 Notes & FAQ
Cherry tomatoes or Roma tomatoes tend to be crisp and flavorful, even when they’re out of season, so they work best in bruschetta recipes. You can substitute other tomatoes, but if they’re soft and seedy, scoop out the seeds before dicing.
I love this dish on a warm summer evening, served with a simple side salad or white bean salad, spaghetti squash, roasted broccoli, or a Tom Collins mocktail.
Transfer the leftover chicken and bruschetta to an airtight container or zip top bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Repurpose it and make my Pizza Chicken Skillet or make Chicken Salad on collard wraps. Any leftover bruschetta mixture can be served with the leftover chicken, or use it on toasts, salads, or with eggs for breakfast!
Grilled Bruschetta Chicken – Whole30, Low Carb
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinated Chicken
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil preferably extra virgin
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1.5 Tablespoons minced red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil preferably extra virgin
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Set the chicken breasts in a rimmed dish or baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings, and turn to coat the chicken on all sides. Set it aside for 20-30 minutes to marinate, or cover and set in the refrigerator for up to 18 hours.
Make the Bruschetta Topping
- Dice the tomatoes, mince the garlic, onion, and basil. Optional Step: Lightly sauté the garlic in a small skillet in olive oil for about 3 minutes. This will take some of the harshness out of the raw garlic. Mix the tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Set aside or cover and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
Cook the Chicken
- Grill: Preheat a gas grill to medium heat, about 375°F (~190°C). Set the chicken breasts on the grill, cover, and cook for about 7 minutes without moving them. Gently turn the chicken once, close the grill, and cook for another 7-8 minutes.Stovetop: Heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken breasts and cook 6-7 minutes without moving them. Flip the chicken breasts and cook for another 6-7 minutes, until cooked through. Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (~177°C). Set the chicken breasts in the air fryer basket with a little space between them. Close and cook for about 10 minutes, then turn the chicken breasts over. Close and cook for another 10 minutes until cooked through. *Note: Cook time will vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts and heat source. Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken breasts has reached 165°F (~74°C). Remove the chicken breasts and set them on a plate to rest about 4-5 minutes.
Assemble and Serve
- Set the chicken on a plate. Spoon the bruschetta mixture on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with a little more balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, salt to taste, and extra basil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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