Olive Garden's copycat Chicken Margherita made with grilled chicken breasts topped with fresh grape tomatoes, mozzarella, basil pesto and a lemon garlic sauce.
It's time for another copycat recipe since you guys love them so much. This time it's one of Olive Garden's newest menu items, Chicken Margherita.
I've mentioned before that whenever we drive to Florida, we try to stop in the same area overnight mainly because we take our two dogs and have to reserve a hotel ahead of time.
This also means there there are a limited number of decent restaurants (no fast food for us), that provide take out so we can pick up our food and not have to leave the dogs alone in the hotel room.
Which I'm sure would drive the guests crazy because they bark at the slightest noise and we wouldn't be there to keep them calm. One of those restaurants is Olive Garden.
What we like about Olive Garden is that when we know the time we will get to the area, we can order what we want online and specify the pick up time.
This also saves a ton of time; especially when you've been driving down I-95 for 12 hours and you just want a decent hot meal and not to feel confined in a car any more.
On our last trip during Spring break, I decided to try Olive Gardens' Chicken Margherita. I wanted something light, yet filling and how can you go wrong with grilled chicken, pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes? It also came with parmesan crusted zucchini and the website says it was only 590 calories...BONUS!
This copycat version of Chicken Margherita was delicious and the chicken was so moist. Of course, I had to try to make this at home and I have to say it tasted just like the restaurant version.
This recipe has a few steps and from start to finish takes about 1 hour to make, but you can prepare it in steps partially the night before if you're in a time crunch during the week. Here is what you have to do.
How do you prepare The Chicken?
To make sure my chicken breasts were moist as well, I first brined them in a mixture of water, sugar and kosher salt for about 2 hours. You can do this overnight as well, but the limited time I did was fine too.
Next, you want to grill the chicken until it's cooked through to a minimum internal temperature of 165Ā°F . I recommend using a 4oz. boneless chicken breast; which took approximately 10 minutes to grill. Remove from the heat, set aside or keep covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble.
How do you Make Pesto?
Pesto is super simple to make. Simply add fresh basil, garlic, Pecorino Romano cheese, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and pine nuts (you can leave these out if you don't have them or are allergic to tree nuts). Pulse all ingredients in a mini food processor until smooth. You can make the pesto up to 2 days before and keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.
How do you Make the Lemon Garlic Sauce?
In a small saucepan, melt some butter; then add minced garlic. SautƩ for about 1 minute; then stir in some flour. Add fresh lemon juice and chicken broth and stir about 3-5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. You can make this the night before and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
How do you assemble the Chicken Margherita?
Now it's time to assemble the chicken. First, preheat your oven to 425Ā°F; then place the grilled chicken in an oven safe baking dish. Top each chicken breast with mozzarella, pesto and then top with halved grape tomatoes.
Next, pour the lemon garlic sauce on top of the chicken and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
If you are preparing this using chicken that has been refrigerated first, let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes prior to placing it in the oven or the chicken may not be hot enough when the cheese melts.
OMG this homemade version of grilled Chicken Margherita was incredible and I will definitely be making this recipe again very soon. My family really enjoyed it as well.
In fact, I made extra the first time and froze the leftovers. We've eaten it a second time and it tasted just as good the second time as it did the first. ~Enjoy!
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Chicken Margherita (Olive Garden Copycat)
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 6- (4-ounce) Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 2 c. Water
- Ā¼ c. Kosher Salt
- Ā¼ c. Granulated Sugar
For the Pesto
- 2 c. Fresh Basil
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
- 3-4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp. Pine Nuts, if desired
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- Ā½ c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Chicken Margherita Assembly
- 6- 4(ounce) Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts
- Ā½ c. Prepared Pesto
- 1 c. Grape Tomatoes, halved
- 6 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
- Ā½ c. Prepared Lemon Garlic Sauce
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Combine the water, salt and sugar in a resealable plastic bag and mix until dissolved. Add the chicken and refrigerate from 2-24 hours.
- Grill the chicken until it's cooked through to a minimum internal temperature of 165Ā°F; approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside or keep covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble.
For the Pesto
- Combine all of the ingredients starting with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a mini food processor and blend until the consistency is smooth. If needed, add the additional 1 tablespoon of oil. Keep stored in a tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the garlic and sautƩ for about 1 minute; then stir in some flour. Add fresh lemon juice and chicken broth and stir about 3-5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. You can make this the night before and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
Chicken Margherita Assembly
- First, preheat your oven to 425Ā°F; then place the grilled chicken in an oven safe baking dish.
- Top each chicken breast with mozzarella, pesto and then top with halved grape tomatoes.
- Next, pour the lemon garlic sauce on top of the chicken and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Notes
Nutrition
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Angelina says
YUM! This sounds 'delicioso', and looks amazing! I could almost taste it, while I was reading the recipe. My Italian in-laws (sometimes) enjoy "Olive Garden".... so I plan to serve this dish when they come for dinner this coming Tuesday. I will serve it with 'Olive Garden's Copycat Salad', NIX OG's (homemade) breadstick recipe, .... but DEFINATELY use 'The Pioneer Woman's Garlic Bread Recipe' instead. I'm sure that this dinner will be enjoyed by all, and that I will be making this dish over & over again in the future. Thanks for a great recipe.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
It's one of my new favorites off of their menu and how can you go wrong with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella?!! š I hope you all enjoy it!
Amy says
This was very delicious! Made it tonight and it was a definite win for me and the hubby!! Thank you for sharing!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Amy! Thanks for stopping back to let me know, I really appreciate it. Happy Holidays!
Amy says
Love it so much! I've made it a few times now! Curious if you've ever made the lemon sauce and freezed it for a later time? Do you think it would freeze well?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you like the recipe Amy, I've made it myself a few times too! The sauce should freeze well as long as you use flour like the recipe states. Sauces that have been thickened with cornstarch and water; however, don't freeze very well and become congealed. š
Karenality says
Mmmmm...so yummy!! I made this tonight along with the copycat zucchini recipe!! Turned out DELICIOUS!!! Thank you Carrie!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know! š
Rachel says
Can I use the same amount of course sea salt instead of kosher salt? For recipe?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Sea Salt is more potent so I'd use half of the amount or you can use regular table salt as well.
Sonya Brown says
Hello,
would the chicken work as well if you bake it or cook it on the stove then complete the other steps? I'm trying to find alternatives so I won't have to light up the bbq grill.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
If you have a grill pan, you can certainly grill the chicken or pan sear it in a saute pan on top of the stove. I'm sure you could bake it too, but I've never tried that so I'm not sure how long it would cook; however, you would lose the smokey flavor from the grill. It shouldn't matter too much, because most of the favor is in the sauce. Let me know how it turns out and I hope you enjoy the recipe Sonya!
Marie Czarnecki says
I think this is a lot of work. I eat healthy for an 80 year old (young) and my SERVICE DOGGIES" eats the same,but when I have the time and the patience I will try this recipe.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I hope you enjoy it Marie.
Liane slade says
I Tried it following precisely however I used sea salt in the marinade instead of kosher and it came out too salty. Had it at Olive Garden and loved it. Will try again ā¹ļø
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm sorry it came out too salty for you and yes, sea salt would make it extra salty. If you use sea salt again, cut the amount in half and don't marinate as long. I do hope the recipe comes out better next time, it's one of my favorites!
Carri says
I'm excited to make this on my next monthly menu. I am on a low carb diet and this recipe is perfect for it! So THANK YOU!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Youāre welcome I hope you enjoy it!
Rudy says
I love this at Olive Garden and it is not on their limited menu. Iām so happy to find this recipe. Thank you!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You're welcome Rudy, I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Brittany c says
How many pieces for 376 calories? Yummy! Canāt wait to make!!!! :))
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I added the ingredients to MyFitnessPal.com and got the following information (I'll also add it to the recipe card for future reference)
Serving Size for 4oz Chicken Breast is as follows: (based on the specific ingredients used and does not include the ingredients used in brining as they as discarded so nutritional information might not be 100% accurate)
Calories 284
Fat 18g
Sodium 303mg
Fiber 0g
Sugar 1g
Protein 31g
I hope you enjoy the recipe Brittany!
Carri says
I commented back in March before I made this. I wanted to come back and say how good it was! I've actually made other similar recipes to this but this one is better. And as I said, it's low carb and suits my weight loss diet perfectly. Thank you!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you like the recipe Carri! Thanks so much for trying it. It was one of my favorite copycat recipes as well, loaded with flavor!!
Kathryn M Beck says
I have made this twice now & although it does take some time , my boyfriend goes crazy over it! Serve it with homemade marinara ,pasta & broccoli & it is the bomb!! Thank you !!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
It does take a bit longer to make, but it's one of our favorites as well. I'm so glad you like the recipe!
Berni says
Just had this for the first time at Olive Garden and going to be my new favorite. Couldn't wait until I found a copycat recipe. Thank you!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You're welcome, I hope you like my version!