One of the things I look forward to most in the summer is having family and friends over and grilling on the back deck. The weather is warm, there is lots of good conversation and of course, lots of good food! This past weekend Suzy and Steve came over and we made a delicious dinner – this Caprese Grilled Chicken and a Lemon Couscous Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes (it’ll be my next post!). It was a perfect Saturday evening in my mind!

This chicken was light, fresh and full of summer flavors! Once the chicken was grilled, I spread a homemade pesto on it, layered some tomatoes and topped it all with mozzarella cheese. We closed the lid of the BBQ to let the cheese melt and voila! A healthy, delicious dish!

Caprese Grilled Chicken
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Makes 8 chicken cutlets (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
Pesto:
1 cup basil
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally (or 8 chicken breast cutlets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Pesto: In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow drizzle while pulsing, then add the pine nuts and pulse to desired consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to put on the chicken. You can store the extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze for later use (although we didn’t have much left)

2. Chicken: Wash and pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Slice breasts in half horizontally and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over medium heat on both sides until just cooked through. Lower heat and then spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto on one side of the chicken, top with 1-2 tomato slices and mozzarella cheese and then close the lid of the grill to let the cheese melt. Enjoy!