Grilled Chicken with Two Toppings

A beautiful (and easy!) menu for entertaining!

This easy Grilled Chicken Recipe is so tender and juicy thanks to my simple grilled chicken marinade!

It creates beautiful platters for entertaining, which looks impressive but really is a cinch to make! The chicken can marinade during the day. Then all you have to do is grill the chicken and make the simple toppings!

This dinner pairs really well with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus, see the video and “Game Plan Notes” below to see how to time it all out! (Seriously, 95% of entertaining is the organization!)

Julienne the basil into thin ribbons, it will look prettier than way!

• If I’m serving 6 or more guests, I like to make both toppings. Because there’s always someone who doesn’t care for mushrooms!

• It’s also nice to mix up the flavors, and because these toppings are vegetable based, and hearty, it’s like adding a couple more side dishes too.

• This meal times out really well with the asparagus and potatoes with most of it prepped in advance.

• You can also make the dessert (my scrumptious Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from last week) ahead of time, and pop in the oven once you sit down to dinner.

Watch The Video Demo

(also helpful for seeing all the timing!)

My Easy Grilled Chicken Marinade

• The Dijon mustard and Herbs de Provence give the chicken wonderful flavor without being too overpowering.

• I also really love using white wine in chicken marinades because the wine tenderizes the chicken in such a lovely way!

• I like to use chicken cutlets, pounded thinly, because they cook quicker on a grill pan and don’t dry out as easily as the full breasts do. Since it takes more time for them to cook inside which can dry out the exterior.

Topping#1: The Sautéed Mushrooms

• The sautéed mushrooms are a delicious, hearty topping with the grilled chicken. Flavored with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, butter and parsley, they are the perfect complement to the chicken.

• The best way to clean the mushrooms is with a dry paper towel. Not by rinsing them.

• Mushrooms are like little sponges and if you rinse them, they will absorb that water and become mushy. The water also prevents them from getting nicely browned too.

• These mushrooms are also great on top of grilled steak or as a complement to my Roasted Rosemary Beef Tenderloin recipe.

Topping#2: Cherry Tomato Option

• The cherry tomato topping is made with sweet cherry tomatoes, shallots or garlic, fresh basil, olive oil and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar.

• This is a great topping to make now as cherry tomatoes are coming into season, because the tomatoes are so refreshing, and when combined with the fresh basil is gives us all a a taste of what’s to come…summer!

• You can make the topping ahead of time just before grilling the chicken, take them out to the grill, and then spoon them on top of the warm chicken.

Store your cherry tomatoes at room temperature on your countertop. The arch-enemy of a tomato’s flavor and texture is…The Refrigerator!

• I love to make the potatoes in my Air Fryer because it’s easy and they come out so nice and crispy!

• But if you don’t have an air fryer, you can make my Foolproof Roasted Potatoes recipe, and in the recipe card are instructions for how to make them along with the asparagus so that everything is done at the same time.

• For dessert, the light flavors of this meal would pair beautifully with my Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe or my Panna Cotta with Fruits Rouges.

• The Day Before or Morning of: Marinate the Chicken.

• 1 Hour Before Guests Arrive: Prep the tomato topping, leaving out the basil, and set aside at room temperature.

• Once guests are settled with their drinks and snacks:

• Prep the asparagus, place them on a sheet pan. Set this aside.

• Prep the potatoes and pop them in the air fryer for 20 minutes (or oven for 45 minutes, following my recipe for Foolproof Roasted Potatoes)

• Saute the mushrooms let them rest in the pan on your cooktop with the flame off.

• Pop the asparagus in the oven.

• Meanwhile, grill the chicken.

• As soon as the chicken is almost done, turn on the cooktop to reheat the mushrooms in the pan to warm through, and then add the parsley.

• You’re Done! Now for plating!

• Place the chicken across two platters, spoon each topping on top. Add the basil to the tomato topping (julienne it so it looks ribbony and pretty!)

• Serve with the potatoes and asparagus.

• Right before you sit down to dinner, reduce the oven to 375F (190C) pop the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp in the already hot oven. It will be ready in 30 minutes, if dinner is still going, reduce the heat to 100F to keep warm.