Balsamic Grilled Chicken
On January 05, 2022 (Updated April 15, 2022)
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Balsamic grilled chicken is marinated in simple ingredients before hitting the grill. It’s a great weeknight dinner when you’re looking for something completely delicious without a lot of effort.
Balsamic Grilled Chicken
As a working mom, I know how hard it can be to fit in healthy meals throughout the week. Chicken tends to be my go-to for meal fillers when I know I’ll need dinner cooked quickly, but I also want something on the lean side.
This balsamic grilled chicken fits the bill in more ways than one. Simply make the marinade ahead of time, place the chicken in before heading to work, and toss it on the grill in the evening.
Balsamic Grilled Chicken Marinade
Nothing quite beats the ease and convenience of grilling marinated chicken. The chicken comes off the grill juicy and packed with flavor without any other needed rubs or sauces. This chicken uses a balsamic marinade to tenderize it and give it a sweet and savory flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this marinade:
- Olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Honey.
- Black pepper.
- Salt.
- Italian seasoning.
- Minced garlic.
Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or a large glass container with a lid. Add the chicken breast and place it in the fridge. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours for the best flavor.
How to Make Grilled Balsamic Chicken
After your chicken has been marinating for 4-8 hours, you’re ready to fire up the grill! Here’s how to finish up this grilled balsamic chicken.
- Preheat. Turn on your gas grill or charcoal grill to 375 degrees F and allow it to preheat for around 15 minutes. The chicken cooks quickly, so I like to prepare my sides while the grill is preheating.
- Grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and give it a light shake to remove the excess marinade. Place the chicken directly on the preheated grill grates. Close the lid, and cook the chicken for 7-8 minutes. Flip the chicken, close the lid, and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the temperature of the thickest part of the breast reads 162 degrees F.
- Rest. Remove the chicken from the grill to a plate. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and rest for around 5 minutes. During this time the temperature of the chicken will increase to a final temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Enjoy. Serve the chicken and enjoy. This chicken can be eaten as-is or served on salad, or over pasta or rice.
If you’re going for a super easy meal, keep things simple and toss some Grilled Vegetables and Baked Potatoes on the Grill as well. Everything will cook on the grill saving on dishes and cleanup.
Tips for Making Grilled Balsamic Chicken
Now, even though this balsamic chicken is super easy to make, I still have a few suggestions to help you make the most of this meal.
- Swap for thighs. If you’re not a fan of chicken breasts, you can easily swap them out for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Your cook time should take a few minutes less, depending on the thickness of the thighs.
- Perfect for meal prep! Make a big batch of these chicken breasts at once to use all week in salads, pasta, grain bowls, or soups. Simply cool at room temp for 30 minutes after cooking before transferring to a zip-top bag. Press out as much air as possible and store in the fridge.
- Want those iconic grill marks on your chicken? Lay your chicken breasts on the hot grates at an angle. Pretend they are one line in a letter X ( \ ) as you line them up. After 4 minutes, rotate each chicken breast to an opposite angle, making the other line in your letter X ( / ). When you flip to the opposite side, you should have perfect grill marks!
Did you do anything differently that worked out for you? If so, make sure to leave me a comment below! We love to hear how all you grillers customized these recipes to work for you and your family.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes
You just can’t go wrong with grilled chicken for dinner. It’s easy. It’s delicious. And it’s usually ready in a flash. Check out our other delicious grilled chicken recipes from Hey Grill Hey.
Balsamic Grilled Chicken Recipe
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Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
Balsamic Marinade
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves minced garlic
Instructions
- Marinate. Combine all marinade ingredients in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and massage to coat. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat. When you are ready to cook your chicken, preheat the grill to 375 degrees F.
- Grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and grill for 7-8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts, close the lid, and grill for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 162 degrees F.
- Rest. Place the cooked chicken on a plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 4-5 minutes to allow the carry-over heat to finish cooking the chicken to 165 degrees F.
- Enjoy. Slice the chicken and serve! This balsamic grilled chicken is great on salads, over pasta or rice, or served alongside grilled vegetables.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I would like to know the cooking temperature and time for doing your chicken recipes in an air fryer please. Thanks
Hey Rich,
You can prepare your chicken using Susie’s methods and products. You can then go online or the manufacturer’s website to get the recommended temperature and time to air fry. I would air fry the chicken then check the internal temperature to make sure it’s at 165. If you’re making a thicker breast then it will probably take longer than a thinned out breast.
Boneless, skinless breasts or bone-in?
This was really good! The chicken breasts were very juicy and the family really enjoyed it. This will definitely enter the grilling rotation.
We used prickly pear balsamic and it was so delicious! Thank you Susie!
Gonna try this this week! Mom is leaving town and I’m cooking for the kids. Wish me luck!