Caprese Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

 

Food, like music, can conjure up feelings, emotions and memories.  This chicken recipe makes me think of summer with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil when I make my favorite Caprese salad fresh from the garden.  Summer is not here yet, but you can bring back the memories and tastes of summer with Caprese Grilled Chicken.  Enjoy!

Caprese Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast halves, rested at room temperature 15 minutes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 6 slices
• 2 large Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped

Directions

• Heat balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring vinegar just to a boil then reduce heat slightly and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until vinegar has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Brush grill grates lightly with oil and pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. In a small bowl, stir together olive oil and garlic. Brush each side of each chicken breast lightly with olive oil mixture and season each side with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to preheated grill, cover with lid and cook chicken 5 minutes, then rotate and cook opposite side until chicken is cooked through and registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer (about 5 minutes longer, time will vary though based on the thickness of the chicken breasts). Top each chicken breast with one slice of fresh mozzarella and 1 or 2 Roma tomato slices. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil, allow to rest 5 – 10 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle tops with fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction, serve immediately.

Source:  Cookingclassy.com