Tangy balsamic vinegar, sweet ripe tomatoes, salty mozzarella cheese, and earthy fresh basil unite in this amazing chicken bruschetta recipe.
The inspiration behind this dish was something that my mother-in-law made for us shortly after the birth of my second son. Typically, I don’t tomatoes…at all. But, on this dish, they taste SO good!
Chicken Bruschetta
Since the recipe for my mother-in-law’s chicken bruschetta had a few non-THM ingredients (including purchased salad dressing), I decided to reverse engineer it a bit so that it was fully homemade and on plan without losing any of the amazing flavor.
Before proceeding, let me give you a little history on what bruschetta means. Bruschetta is an Italian antipasto (which means appetizer) made with bread that is drizzled with olive oil, topped with various spices and herbs and sometimes tomatoes and cheese, then toasted. Instead of bread, this recipe uses chicken as the platform for the toppings, turning it into an easy, delicious main dish.
This dish is pretty quick to whip up and I’ll often make it on those nights when I’m feeling extra worn out. But it’s also fancy and yummy enough to serve to guests. The chicken can be cooked in a pan on the stove top, baked in the oven, or even grilled outside–all three options have an absolutely delicious and easy end result.
You can make this recipe ahead of time (leaving the chicken raw), store it in a baking dish, and pop it in a 350° oven for about 30 to 45 minutes (or until cooked through) before dinner is served. It also freezes well (while the chicken is raw), just be sure to thaw it completely before baking it. Lastly, it makes a great dish to prepare when cooking for other families in need.
Chicken Bruschetta Side Dishes
Some sides that go well with this Chicken Bruschetta dish include a side salad (check out my salad ideas article), roast veggies (ideas and how long to roast here), low carb bread or rolls, and/or steamed veggies.
Trim & Tiny Cooking Chicken Bruschetta
If you’d like to see this dish being made in action, check out my 10-year-old son’s Trim & Tiny Cooking episode of it where he makes it tiny!
Chicken Bruschetta
Ingredients
Marinade & Chicken
- 2 tablespoons oil from sun dried tomato jar (tomatoes used as an ingredient later) or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, melted butter, or ghee
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Other Ingredients
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or shredded (omit for Whole30)
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped OR 3 tablespoons dried basil
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced OR 3 fresh roma tomatoes, diced
Instructions
Marinate (4 Hours in Advance to Cooking)
- In a zip bag or a shallow glass dish, mix together the oils, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Butterfly the chicken {or cut in half} and place in the bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over it. Press out excess air and zip the bag shut or cover the shallow dish and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
After Marinating
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Place the breasts in a greased baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade into the dish.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until internal temperature of every breast reads 165° F.
- Top with mozzarella, basil, and tomato.
- Put back in oven until cheese has melted, about 10 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 6 to 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
In the directions where you have to mix all the listed items you have sweetener listed, I don’t see any sweetner listed in the list of ingredients.
Thank you so much for spotting that! There was sweetener in a previous version of the recipe, but I found it didn’t really need it so I omitted it to make it simpler. I’ve corrected the directions. Thank you kindly!
OMG! This is so good! I made it tonight and love this recipe. I forgot to marinate the chicken and it is 4 below here in WI so I poured all of the marinade over the chicken, baked it in the oven for 20 mins, added the cheese and baked another 10 mins. Thank you for this recipe- I will look for many more from your site!
Glad you liked it. 😀
Easy to make and absolutely delish!
Love this! I made it for dinner tonight and everyone (including the picky 8 year old) approved! Double thumbs up.