Grilled chicken topped with fresh mozzarella, sweet peaches, basil, and balsamic glaze. This Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken is a simple and beautiful summer dish!
Since peak peach season is right around the corner, this Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken most definitely deserves a spot back on the front page of the blog. When I published this recipe 5 years ago, I had just discovered the amazingness of Colorado peaches —the juiciest, sweetest, most perfectly ripened beauties I’ve ever tasted.
Colorado Peaches Are the Best
I highly recommend Talbott’s Mountain Gold Colorado peaches, which if you’re a local reader, you can find at Bob’s Produce Ranch in Fridley, MN. The peaches are generally available through the month of August. If you’re outside of the Twin Cities, be on the lookout at your local grocery store for these wonderful peaches.
Why Colorado peaches? It turns out the climate in western Colorado, where Talbott’s farm originates, provides the perfect growing conditions. The hot days allow the peaches to ripen, bringing out their maximum sweetness, while the cool nights help to preserve their heightened flavor.
When I developed this recipe 5 years ago, my goal was to create a savory dish using these wonderful peaches. So I did the only thing I know how to do when it’s dinnertime in the summer: fire up the grill! To my surprise, it ended up being one of those wonderfully sneaky dishes that look gorgeous and fancy, but come together so easily!
How Make The Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken
- Prepare the chicken: For this dish, I used around 2 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the thinner the better. We want the chicken breasts to be thin because they soak up more flavor and they cook more evenly. The chicken breasts I used were very plump and large, so I sliced each breast in half horizontally. Then, I placed each piece between two sheets of parchment paper and pounded them down with a rolling pin. A simple dash of salt and pepper and drizzle of olive oil is all you need to season the chicken. They’re now ready for the grill.
- Prepare the topping: To build the peach caprese part of the dish, slice up the peaches and fresh mozzarella. Then, chop a handful of fresh basil.
- Make the balsamic glaze: Pour a cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Then, reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Check the consistency by dipping a spoon in the mixture. If it coats the back of the spoon, the glaze is ready. As the reduction cools, the consistency will become more syrup-like. If you happen to reduce the vinegar too much and it becomes a bit too sticky, simply stir a bit of water into the mixture over low heat.
- Grill the chicken: Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Once heated, grill the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes. Since the chicken is so thin, grilling will be quick and easy!
How to Serve the Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken
When the chicken’s hot off the grill, arrange it on a platter as the base layer. Top the chicken with the fresh mozzarella, peach slices, and a drizzle of the balsamic glaze. Serve any extra balsamic glaze on the side. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil. You may feel like you have more peach slices than you actually need, but don’t be afraid to layer them all on. Every time I make this dish, I’m always left wanting more peaches, so I increased the amount in the recipe this time around.
A word of advice for enjoying this Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken: Make sure it contains a nice chunk of smoky grilled chicken, at least 2 peach slices, a little pillow of mozzarella, and a bit of basil. Then, take that forkful and soak up any extra drips of the balsamic drizzle. You’re now ready to take the best bite of your life. All of the flavors together will rock your world, but the shining star will emerge at the end with the lingering juice from the peaches.
The colors, flavors, and textures are varied and simply fabulous, giving this dish such a bright, summery feel. This recipe is perfect to serve guests because it looks and tastes fancy, but couldn’t be easier to prepare. Serve this chicken with this bright and zippy Zucchini Ribbon Salad, this Spiralized Spaghetti Salad, or this Greek Quinoa Salad to make it the ultimate summer meal!
PrintPeach Caprese Grilled Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Description
Grilled chicken topped with fresh mozzarella, sweet peaches, basil, and balsamic glaze. This Peach Caprese Grilled Chicken is a simple and beautiful summer dish!
Ingredients
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4–5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into ½ inch slices
- 4–5 medium peaches, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Make the balsamic glaze: Pour a cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Then, reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Check the consistency by dipping a spoon in the mixture. If it coats the back of the spoon, the glaze is ready. As the reduction cools, the consistency will become more syrup-like. If you happen to reduce the vinegar too much and it beomces a bit too sticky, simply stir a bit of water into the mixture over low heat. Remove the glaze from heat.
- Prepare and grill the chicken: **Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. Place the halves, two at a time, between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the meat until thin. Repeat until all halves are pounded thin. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken breasts. Rub the oil over the chicken to evenly coat. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts on the grill. Cook for about 5-8 minutes per side.
- Plate the dish: Place the grilled chicken on a platter. Top the chicken breasts with an even layer of mozzarella slices. Spread the peach slices over the mozzarella. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the chicken, mozzarella, and peaches. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil over the entire dish.
Notes
**Cutting the breasts in half and pounding them thin is optional. I like thin chicken breasts because they cook more evenly and I find that the flavor is more intense.