Balsamic Cherry Grilled Chicken

By Greens & Chocolate

July 31, 2024

Grilled chicken breasts topped with a savory-sweet balsamic cherry sauce. An impressively easy dinner recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate!


We recently moved, and our new (to us) house has a beautiful backyard and a great patio. We had a pretty nice patio in our old house but our new one has a much better view, is bigger, and gets great evening light. This makes me want to eat every single meal outside, especially dinner. And if it’s raining we’ll just go in our three-season porch. New house, for the win.  


When it comes to grilling, I love chicken as a healthier option than, say, brats and burgers. At the same time, chicken definitely requires a little more prep work and needs to be watched pretty close when it’s on the grill. If you undercook it, it’s pretty gross. If you overcook it, it is, again, pretty gross.


My solution is that I always use a meat thermometer when cooking chicken on the grill. I follow the general cooking directions of grilling it for about 5 minutes on each side, but that definitely depends on how thick your chicken is, so using a meat thermometer is really important.


D

This Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Cherry Sauce is, without a doubt, one of our favorite grilled chicken recipes. While I love anything with balsamic vinegar, my husband is lukewarm on it. That said, he loved this chicken. The chicken itself gets a ton of flavor from a marinade in balsamic vinegar, garlic and olive oil. You can do this for 20 minutes or even prep it a night in advance to really let it soak up that flavor.


Of course, the balsamic cherry sauce just makes this dish. I absolutely love when cherries are in season, and I usually just eat them fresh. This savory use for cherries is really fun and absolutely delicious. This would be a great meal for a date night in, and also a really impressive dish to serve guests. You can definitely make the sauce ahead of time, making it even easier. I served it with some grilled veggies and bread, which was optimal for making sure we got every last lick of the cherry sauce!

SERVINGS

4

PREP TIME

25 min

COOK TIME

25 min

Ingredients

  • 4
    boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
  • 3
    tablespoons olive oil
  • 2
    tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2
    cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4
    teaspoon salt

For the balsamic cherry sauce:

  • 1
    tablespoon olive oil
  • 1
    small shallot, diced
  • 1
    clove garlic, minced
  • 3
    tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2
    cups cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
  • 2
    tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

  1. 1

    Marinate the chicken. In a small bowl combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt. Pour over the chicken breasts and marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to overnight.

  2. 2

    Make the cherry balsamic sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Add the shallot and garlic; cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cherries; cook until cherries are softened and balsamic is slightly reduced, about 8-10 minutes.

  3. 3

    Cook the chicken. Heat your grill over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 4-6 minutes on each side, depending on how thick your chicken is, until internal temperature reaches 165 F. I always use a meat thermometer to ensure my chicken is fully cooked.

  4. 4

    Serve grilled chicken topped with balsamic cherry sauce and fresh parsley. Enjoy!

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