Easy and delicious, this low-carb Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken is seasoned with simple Italian seasonings and topped with a sweet and fresh farm-to-table strawberry basil bruschetta topping. Ready in just 30 minutes, enjoy this vibrant dinner with a side of sautéed zucchini noodles and drizzle with your favorite balsamic glaze.
Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken
The transition from spring to summer is one of my favorite times of the year. The days are longer, the temperatures a little warmer, and the markets seem to come alive with all the fresh and colorful spring and summer produce.
Inspired by the season and my sweet (and growing!) 5-year-old, I decided to make this delicious, colorful, 30-minute Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken Skillet and share it with all of you!
Strawberries, just in case you didn’t know, are my all-time favorite fruit. Super sweet and oh-so-pretty, there’s not much to dislike about these ruby-red berries. And when your 5-year-old loves them just as much as you? Well, let’s say summer may as well be strawberry season over at my house.
The real winner of this dish, though? The chicken.
And here’s the thing, you guys- my kid eats a lot of chicken. He’s 5, but he may as well be 15 because if there’s one thing he’s inherited from his momma, it’s his love for yummy chicken (no wonder he’s in the 98th percentile for height).
But I digress…
Anyway, since he may as well be a half-chicken these days, I make sure always to purchase local, fresh chicken.
Ingredients in this Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
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- chicken
- olive oil
- garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Strawberries
- Red onion
- Basil
- Mozzarella cheese
- Zucchini
- Balsamic Glaze
- Lemon
How to make Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken
There are several reasons why this is one of my go-to chicken recipes. Easy to prepare and cook, loved by the whole family, and SUPER healthy (it has a little bit of everything in there!), this Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken Skillet is a real winner.
Even better? No fancy cooking tools or supplies are needed—except for maybe a spiralizer.
So, how can you make this awesome chicken skillet?
The first step in making this Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken is to get the chicken prepared. I highly recommend pounding your chicken breasts between plastic wrap or butterflying them so that they are nice and thin. The purpose of this extra step is shorter cooking time, even cooking time, and (ideally) juicier chicken at the end of cooking.
Once the chicken has been prepared, I like to transfer them to a large mixing bowl and toss with olive oil, finely minced garlic, Italian seasoning (my go-to, must-have for chicken recipes like this), salt, and pepper. You may also season them on a large baking sheet or plate, but I find that a big bowl is easiest.
Coat all sides of your chicken with seasoning. Yep. If you need to get in there with your hands, do it (super-wash them afterward). Allow your chicken to marinate for at least 10 minutes if you have the time, or cover the chicken and refrigerate. You can always save the chicken and cook the next day.
Once your chicken is prepped and taken care of, I like to spiralize my zucchini so that it is ready to go as soon as the chicken has finished cooking.
Now is also an excellent time to start chopping everything for the strawberry bruschetta topping. Depending on personal preference, you may prefer extra strawberries, less onion, more basil, etc. The amounts listed below are a good estimate of where to start, but everyone has their own idea of delicious, so don’t be afraid to mix it up.
Finally, it’s time to turn on the heat and cook some chicken.
Set your skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is nice and hot, drizzle with olive oil and add the chicken. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet. Cook for 8 minutes until fully cooked (the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reached 165 degrees F. as read with a digital meat thermometer). Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a clean plate.
Return the same skillet to medium-high heat and add those gorgeous zoodles! Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until just starting to soften. Be careful not to overcook the zucchini noodles as they release all their water and quickly become soggy.
Return your cooked chicken to the skillet, nestling it among the zucchini noodles. Top each chicken breast with a generous spoonful of strawberry bruschetta topping and immediately remove from heat. Serve with a drizzle of sweet balsamic glaze.
It is best served immediately but is also fantastic leftover.
What is Balsamic Glaze
Balsamic glaze, also known as a balsamic reduction, is a simple recipe made from simmering balsamic vinaigrette until thick and reduced. Often, people will add brown sugar to sweeten it up just a bit but this is entirely optional. The best part is that it takes little more than 20-30 minutes to prepare and can simmer as you prepare the rest of the meal.
Of course, you may also find pre-made balsamic glaze in your local Safeway supermarket.
Drizzling a bit of balsamic glaze over your chicken at serving really helps tie all the flavors from the chicken and the strawberry bruschetta together and comes highly recommended.
Tips + Tricks
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- Bake your Chicken instead. Learn how to bake perfectly juicy chicken every time in this post, serve with zucchini noodles, and top with fresh and sweet strawberry bruschetta topping.
- Marinate the chicken the day before so that it’s ready to go when you are.
- Meal prep with the leftovers. Combine everything together into one meal prep container or keep the chicken, strawberry bruschetta topping and noodles separate—up to you! While this recipe is best served immediately, it does taste great leftover as well.
- Mix and match your favorite fruit and fresh herbs for all kinds of different fun toppings.
- For any cheese lovers out there, add a small handful of grated parmesan to the zucchini noodles.
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What to serve with Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken Recipe
I find this chicken recipe to be so full of delicious flavor that it hardly needs anything else. Packed full of lean protein, healthy vegetables, and fresh fruit, the only thing really missing from this dish is a whole grain.
Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy to add a side of farro, quinoa, or even quick-cooking barley to this dish. And while it may not be full of fiber or whole grains, a loaf of fresh bread or a few ravioli would also pair well.
If you’d rather skip the strawberry bruschetta topping and simply enjoy the chicken, I recommend serving it with a side of bok choy, baked sweet potato, tomato salad, or (my personal favorite) cucumber salad.
Not feeling the zucchini noodles? Other awesome low-carb sides include cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash.
If you try making this Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Strawberry Bruschetta Chicken
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Bruschetta Topping
- 1 pound strawberries - washed and diced
- ¼ red onion - finely diced
- 12 large basil leaves - rolled up and sliced into thin ribbons
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 12 ounces mozzarella pearls - drained and halved
- ½ lemon - juiced
For the Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - pounded to equal thickness
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For Serving
- 4-6 zucchini - spiralized
- balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Place chicken breasts between a large piece of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound each chicken breast to equal thickness. Alternatively, use a knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally (if you pick this method, keep in mind that you will end up with 8 thinly sliced chicken breast halves).
- Marinate the Chicken. Add the chicken, olive oil, garlic (optional), dried Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to completely coat the chicken with oil and seasoning. Alternatively, place chicken breasts on a clean baking sheet and drizzle each side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (as shown in video). Allow chicken to marinate for 10 minutes, time allowing.
- Make the Strawberry Bruschetta Topping. Add the strawberries, garlic, red onion, basil, salt, pepper, and mozzarella cheese to a medium mixing bowl. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
- Prepare the zucchini noodles using your favorite method (I love my spiralizer). Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is nice and hot, drizzle with 1-2 tsp olive oil and add the chicken (working in batches, if needed). Cook the chicken for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside to a clean plate.
- Cook the zucchini noodles. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the zucchini. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until they just start to soften (avoid overcooking as zucchini noodles like to turn soggy).
- Assemble. Serve chicken with a big scoop of the prepared strawberry bruschetta topping, balsamic glaze, and fresh lemon juice, if desired.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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