Years ago, when our girls were little, we invited a few young families over on a summer evening for a meal around the patio. We had a pool at that house, so we told the kids they could bring their swimsuits to play in the pool while the parents visited and kept an eye on them. We grilled herbed chicken and served it with good summer side dishes. When the food was ready, we prayed and let the children eat on towels in the yard. At some point during our meal conversation, one of the kids yelled across the yard, “Mom, did you try this chicken? It tastes like it came from a restaurant!” We all had a good laugh and ever since that night, our family has referred to this chicken simply as “restaurant chicken”!
This “restaurant chicken” is juicy and savory and can be served alongside salad, pasta, or roasted veggies. I also chop or shred it for soups, chicken salad, and casseroles. It’s my go-to for a reliably tasty chicken dish year-round! The recipe will be attached at the end of this post, but I’d like to share some photos of the preparation.
First, I chop as many types of fresh Italian herbs as I have on hand. Parsley, rosemary, oregano, basil, and thyme are all delicious or any combination of these.
I rinse, pat dry, and trim the chicken breast and place them in a pan.
I drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the chicken, enough to coat, and then rub into both sides. The balsamic vinegar gives it such a little tang and a lot of depth in flavor, plus it also yields a nice brownish color during grilling.
Next, I give a good sprinkling of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion salt on both sides.
Lastly, I sprinkle the herbs onto the chicken and cover it with plastic wrap to go into the fridge. I season the chicken the night before or the morning of the meal so it can soak in all day. I take the chicken out of the fridge about a half hour before grilling so it can come to room temperature.
My husband and I have a good routine with our grilled meals. I have the meat seasoned and ready when he gets home, and he takes care of the grilling because he’s the best at grilling! I call him our “patio daddio”!
After grilling, we place the chicken on a platter and cover it with foil until we’re ready to eat.
Ok, so what if you don’t have fresh herbs or you can’t grill outside? In those cases, I use dried herbs and grill it on my grill pan (or just cook it in a pan if you don’t have a grill pan). I find that if I cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise, it cooks more easily in the pan, but I leave them whole for the outside grill.
I can do these in batches until I have as many as I need.
Look how juicy! I did these batches for a large group we were having when I needed to go ahead and cook them earlier in the kitchen.
And here is another of the many ways I serve this chicken. I served it to my ladies with tomato pesto tart and salad for my Norwex party.
Herb Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- fresh parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, or any combination that you have available.
- chicken breasts –however many you need.
Instructions
- Rinse and chop each of the fresh herbs and set aside. Rinse, pat dry, and trim the number of chicken breasts needed for your group and place it in a pan. Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Rub the oil and vinegar into both sides of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion salt. There's no specific amount of each seasoning; it just depends on how well-seasoned you like your chicken. We like ours pretty savory so I'm somewhat generous with the seasonings. Finally, distribute the chopped herbs over the tops and pat them onto the chicken breasts. Put plastic wrap over the pan of chicken and place it in the refrigerator for several hours to a day before grilling. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling. After grilling, place the chicken on a platter and cover with foil to let it sit until ready to serve.
This looks delicious! I love cooking and baking but chicken is my nemesis!! I always seem to overcook it. I’m going to try this. Do you find that it is better with thin breasts or regular? Or if regular, do you pound them thinner?
Hi, Laura! I leave the chicken breast whole when we cook them on our outdoor grill, but I cut them in half lengthwise when I do them inside on the stove. I don’t have to pound them when I cut them in half because they’re thin enough to cook through. But that’s just my experience. ☺️ Hope that helps!! Have a good weekend!