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Grilled California Avocado Chicken is tender chicken marinated in an amazing honey garlic balsamic sauce and is grilled to perfection! It is topped with a thick slice of mozzarella cheese and avocados, tomatoes and basil. This chicken is INCREDIBLE!!
The combination of chicken and avocado is one of my favorites! If you love California chicken and don’t have a grill try this delicious California avocado skillet chicken.
Grilled California Avocado Chicken
So, I could not wait to share with you this Grilled California Avocado Chicken! Cue all of the heart eye emojis for the avocado, tomato, and basil combination!!! My mouth was watering making this avocado salad of sorts to top off the chicken. It provides a fresh and delicious element on top of the moist, flavorful chicken. It also makes for a vibrant, colorful, and delicious presentation. So pretty! In spite of looking too great to eat, this grilled California avocado chicken was quickly devoured by my family!!
Usually, when something looks and tastes this good, I know I am going to have to put in lots of ingredients and lots of time to make it. However, this avocado chicken comes together so quickly and easily I was shocked!! I am telling you, this was one of the best things that I have ever thrown on the grill. I already can’t wait to make it again. The flavors came together so well and I know that this will become a family favorite at your house as well!
Avocado Chicken Ingredients:
First of all, this chicken marinates in a honey garlic balsamic sauce. I mean who doesn’t love that flavor combination? It marinates to perfection and honestly grills to tender and juicy perfection! The flavor is absolutely unreal in this chicken.
- Balsamic vinegar: This is the acidic ingredient in the marinade that will act as a tenderizer.
- Honey: Part of the marinade that adds flavor and keeps the chicken super juicy.
- Garlic: Cloves, minced
- Olive oil: The oil in your marinade will penetrate the meat, and bring the other flavors of the marinade along with it.
- Italian seasoning: The perfect blend of flavors for most things, but especially this avocado chicken!
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless breasts will grill best.
- Mozzarella: I love how fresh sliced mozzarella pairs with the tomato and basil, but any good melting cheese will work to smother the chicken.
- Avocados: Diced to bite size perfection.
- Roma tomatoes: Any tomato will work, just be sure to cut into bite sized pieces.
- Basil: Fresh chopped basil is perfect on this chicken.
- Optional: Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
How to Grill California Chicken
And just when you think that it can’t get any better, top it with a thick slice of mozzarella cheese when it comes off of the grill. It gets so melty and ooey gooey. Then, JUST when you think it can’t possibly get any better with the ooey gooey cheese on top comes the avocado, tomato, and basil. Mind blown!
- Marinate chicken: In a medium sized bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, olive oil, italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Mix avocado topping: Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the avocado, tomato, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Grill: Heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill the chicken on each side about 6 minutes or until cooked throughout and no longer pink.
- Dress chicken and serve: Top with mozzarella cheese and avocado, tomato basil mixture. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.
Grilling the Perfect Chicken
- Make sure your grill is clean before you begin and rub some oil on the grates to prevent the chicken from sticking.
- Thinly sliced chicken breasts won’t take as long to reach temperature. If your chicken breasts are really thick, pound them to thin them out. It will reduce cooking time and help it to cook more evenly.
- Basic rule is 3-5 minutes per side on medium to high heat, but will vary depending on the thickness of your meat.
- You are aiming for a medium, indirect heat while grilling so that the outside of the chicken does not burn while you get the inside up to temperature.
- Keep the grill closed while cooking. This will keep the heat in and allow the chicken to cook quicker and more evenly.
- The chicken is done the temperature reaches 165 degrees or the juices run clear.
- The chicken will continue to cook slightly even after removed from the grill.
Variations
- Marinate: Marinate in a combination of olive oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic. (The longer it marinates the more flavor you will get, so if you have more time, let it sit in the juices for up to 24 hours.)
- Add more flavor! If you want even more spice and flavor: Add garlic seasoning on the chicken and use pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella.
- Toppings: To change it up, you could even add black olives or bacon on top. Because let’s be honest. Everything is better with bacon!
- What to serve with it? Serve with rice, a fresh salad, or seasoned fingerling potatoes.
- Bake instead of grilling: Cover the chicken with foil and cook chicken only at 350 for approximately 45 minutes depending on thickness of the chicken. Then, uncover and add cheese and basil and place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Finally, top with the fresh avocado mixture immediately before serving.
Storing Grilled Chicken
I am not sure you will have any leftovers with this delicious chicken but it is easy to store just in case. Here are a few steps to help keep your grilled chicken fresh.
- Allow to cool after cooking no more than 2 hours before refrigerating or freezing.
- Store in a shallow airtight container.
- Grilled California Avocado Chicken will be good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 4 months.
- To avoid freezer burn be sure to pack your chicken tightly with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper or putting it in a freezer bag.
Grilled California Avocado Chicken
Description
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 2 avocados diced
- 3 roma tomatoes diced (any tomato will work)
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- salt and pepper
- balsamic vinegar for drizzling optional
Instructions
-
In a medium sized bowl whisk the balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the avocado, tomato, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
-
Heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill the chicken on each side about 6 minutes or until cooked throughout and no longer pink. Top with mozzarella cheese and avocado, tomato basil mixture. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Updated on June 10, 2020
Originally Posted on June 11, 2017
Nutrition Facts
Serves: 4
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
The marinade that the chicken was in can you put it in a pan and cook it down for a glaze….my husband wants me to make this for dinner….thanks
MMM! That sounds like a great idea! Let me know how it turns out! XOXO
I cant wait to try this! The balsamic you added at the end looks thickened….what kind is it? Thanks!
I’m not sure if she did this per say but If you saute balsamic vinegar, it will cook the vinegar out and create a almost no calorie delicious sweetened sauce and its the same sauce you would use to top a caprease pizza if you know what that is.
That didn’t look like Balsamic Vinegar. That was Balsamic Glaze. It’s too thick to be vinegar and tastes different too. You don’t want to use vinegar on cooked chicken.
My 14 year old son and husband ask for this weekly!
So glad I found this website. We have tried many recipes and they are all keepers.
Do you have Nutritional information per serving?
What is a good side with this? Making tonight and wondering what to cook with. Thank you!
The nice thing about this recipe is it does have a great variety on the chicken and you wouldn’t need a lot of sides for it. A salad would be great. A type of fruit salad would be great or rice. It does make it tricky because of the flavorful ingredients. Hope you enjoy it! XOXO
This dish is delicious I served it with sautéed corn with diced red bell peppers and a small side of rice.
That sounds delicious! I have my chicken marinating now. I’m going to roast a spaghetti squash while it hangs out in the fridge and serve it over that. I’m going to saute the spaghetti squash once its shredded with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and basil!
I also added fresh minced garlic to the tomato/avocado mix!
I’ve made this time and time again. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes
We made the chicken for dinner last night. Let me just say that my niece’s husband wanted to lick his plate.
This is so delicious and so easy. Thank you for sharing.
Made this last night…..it was Aaaaamazing.! Thank you for sharing.
How do I enter California grilled chicken avocado recipe in My fitness pal app?
Ok recipe but the cheese adds no value except to make increase risk of heart attack. Cajun spice or peri peri with avo salsa would be better.
So leave off the cheese if it offends you.
LOL,cheese is life
Oh my GOD !!! This recipe was off the hook. I made this for my mother in law, my wife and myself and let me tell you what !!! OH MY GOD we LOVED it !!! And I am not a balsamic vinager guy. What a nice change to the usual chicken recipe. This is definitely going in my favorites. I did cut the breasts in half long ways and it was unbelievable. I cannot wait until summer so I can make the chicken on the grill.
I just finished making this for dinner tonight. It was excellent. The aroma from balsamic chicken is still hanging around maki g me just want to keep eating….thanks for the recipe….
Amazing meal!!!! We left the honey out because we can’t have the sugar and it was terrific!!!
LOVE! Cheese and all. Added bonus, my husband is a diabetic and his dietitian recommends using honey as a sweetener for him, thank you!
Really? I was thinking I would have to leave it out too. May give it a try.
How many avocados did you use? I don’t see it in the recipe. Thanks!
I used 2 avocados diced up. You can use more or less depending on your preference.
As I was cooking the chicken I thought I had messed up as it smelled like it was burning! However, it turned out great! Will definitely be making this dish again.
What keeps the avocado from turning brown?
I made this a few nights ago and it was delicious! The chicken and cheese tasted even better the next day as leftovers. I had to take off the avocado mixture since it browned overnight, but that was expected. Thank you for a delicious recipe.
I don’t have access to a grill. How long should I cook it for in the oven, and what temperature?
Bake it on a sheet pan for about 25 minutes or until chicken is baked. Then add the topping and bake for about 5 more minutes.
This is a good recipe! I love keeping the left over toppings for burgers later on!
I love the recipe.. thank you so much.. can I ask what skill you are using.. I drive a truck.. I could use that in my truck for cooking healthy.. truck stops are all going to fast food..
Made this tonight on the stove top and put it over rice. I used garlic olive oil and had a small block of Mozarella cheese with Italian herbs on all its sides. I then covered it and the cheese melted nicely on the chicken. It was so delicious. We tend to eat large portion sizes and one breast with the rice was plenty filling for us. This recipe is a keeper.
So good! I’m slowly corrupting my dad into healthier eating, and he loved this one!
This isn’t a review, it is a question. Can the chicken be pan fried? I don’t have access to a grill.
Yes, that will work great too.
We love this recipe! My extremely picky boyfriend asks for this on a regular basis. I’m actually getting ready to make it right now lol. I always broil the chicken but do everything else as written and its amazing! Last time I used dried basil and it was just as good. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
This recipe is SOOOO good. Seriously, go out and make it… NOW!!
Wow. Made this dish along side a beef your Beef Bourguignon for Christmas Eve dinner and both were a HUGE HIT! And simple to make! Thank you for sharing!
Can u marinate longer than 30 minutes??
Hi Kelli,
Yes, of course. Just not longer than 24 hours long.
So many good flavors! I will make this over and over forever!
We make this so much! Its a family favorite, very easy and tasty.
Substituted the mozzarella for colby jack and the basil for cilantro, everything else the same. Served with lime cilantro rice. It was phenomenal, definitely a keeper!!!d
Amazing! A keeper!
Oh!! looks wonderful
Do I double all the ingredients if making 8-9 chicken breasts?
Yes, that will be best!
My husband and I loved this chicken. I used agave instead of honey because thats what I had, so I don’t know how it affected the recipe, but it was great.
This has everything I love in one dish. Next time I’m going to make extra marinade- it’s so delicious!
This was so simple to make and what an amazing taste.
Great recipe for family and company. Easy and not time consuming.
Will this be okay if it marinates overnight?
Yes, this chicken will marinate up to 24 hours.
I love this recipe and try to make weekend.
This is an amazing. Thanks for sharing….
Love it!
This is so good. We make it often. I usually prefer fresh mozzarella slices but for this sandwich slices of mozzarella work better. We have it over orzo with a vegetable on the side.
During this pandemic, my husband and I are trying out new recipes. This was a simple recipe to follow and is also flavorful!
Since it’s winter and too wet to grill, I baked the chicken, so it didn’t get the dark-carmeled glaze, but it was very good!