Grilled Chicken and Vegetables with Burrata and Green Sauce

First, we marinate the chicken and vegetables in the same herby concoction that later serves as our sauce. It’s great to marinate your meat for up to 24 hours, but if you don’t have time, 30 minutes at room temperature will absolutely do the trick.

When it’s time to cook, the grilling only takes about 15 minutes, since we are using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs. The sauce is already made, so then all that’s left to do is pile everything onto a platter! 

Oh! And the bread. Grilled bread, to be exact. If you’ve never drizzled a slice of really good bread with olive oil, and then seared it on a hot grill, you’ve been missing out. Throw some grilled bread onto the side of your platter and use it to scoop up burrata and sauce into the perfect little bites. 

Whether I’m making a grilled chicken and veggie platter for a group of friends or just for me and George, I like to make at least four servings, because it’s the perfect way to prep ahead and have lunch ready for the next day. If we have any leftovers, George likes to throw his over rice or couscous, whereas I like to make a big chopped salad by tossing the grilled chicken and veggies, romaine lettuce, some feta cheese, and some almonds into a big bowl and hacking away at it all with a chef’s knife until everything is cut into very small pieces. For both of our leftover creations, a generous dousing of green sauce adds the finishing touch.

Grilled Vegetable and Chicken Platter With Burrata and Herby Green Sauce

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Gallon ziploc bag (or large bowl)
• outdoor grill
• Tongs

Ingredients

For the Green Marinade/Sauce

• 1  cup  packed cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 cup  packed parsley leaves
• 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3  cup  olive oil
• juice of1 lime
• juice of1 lemon
• 1/2  tsp  kosher salt

For the Chicken and Vegetables 

• 1 pound  boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 pound  boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large  zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick planks
• 1 large  yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick planks
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1/2  of a loaf of country or Italian bread
• Olive oil

To Assemble

• 4 ounces  burrata cheese
• 2 cups  baby arugula

Substitutions:

• Cilantro and parsley:  swap in any soft, green herb! You need 2 cups of any herbs.
• Scallions:  1 small shallot, or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.
• Garlic:  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
• Olive oil:  any neutral oil such as avocado or grapeseed. Extra-virgin olive oil will burn on the grill, don’t use it!
• Chicken:  use any type of chicken you want! If you use bone-in, skin-on, you’ll need to add at least 5 to 7 minutes of cooking time. This would also be excellent with pork chops or pork tenderloin! Or shrimp!
• Zucchini, squash, and red bell pepper:  whatever vegetables you have/want to grill! Fennel! Red onion! Eggplant! Asparagus! Corn!
• Bread:  there’s no bread in my pics, which is a shame because it is GOOD with this meal. Don’t skimp on the bread. Use whatever kind you’ve got! Preferably something not from a plastic bag that’s been sitting in your pantry for a month but you know, you do you.
• Burrata:  feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, whatever. But daaaaamn that burrata is good!!!
• Arugula:  the arugula helps pull the platter together and make it into one cohesive meal versus a bunch of different elements. Baby spinach could work in its place, but it isn’t as pretty 🙂

Instructions

• To make the green marinade/sauce: Add 1 cup cilantro, 1 cup parsley, 4 scallions, 2 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup olive oil, juice of 1 lime, juice of 1 lemon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Place 1 pound chicken breasts, 1 pound chicken thighs, 1 thinly sliced zucchini, 1 thinly sliced yellow squash, and 1 quartered red bell pepper into a large flat baking dish or gallon Ziploc bag and cover with half of the green sauce. Reserve the second half of the sauce for serving. Yes – the vegetables and chicken can touch even though the chicken is raw! We are cooking them! It’s all good!
• Toss the chicken and vegetables to coat. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, flipping occasionally, or marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, flipping once. 
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Shake off as much of the marinade from the chicken and vegetables as possible as you add them to the grill, to prevent flare-ups. Grill the chicken thighs and peppers for 5 minutes per side, breasts for 4 minutes per side, and squash and zucchini for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until charred and tender. Transfer everything to a large platter as it finishes.
• Garnish the platter with 4 ounces burrata, torn into 2 or 3 pieces and 2 cups arugula, and drizzle it all with the reserved green sauce. Serve the remaining green sauce in a bowl on the side. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

For the Green Marinade/Sauce

• 1  cup  packed cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 cup  packed parsley leaves
• 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3  cup  olive oil
• juice of1 lime
• juice of1 lemon
• 1/2  tsp  kosher salt

For the Chicken and Vegetables 

• 1 pound  boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 pound  boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large  zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick planks
• 1 large  yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick planks
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into quarters
• 1/2  of a loaf of country or Italian bread
• Olive oil

To Assemble

• 4 ounces  burrata cheese
• 2 cups  baby arugula

Substitutions:

• Cilantro and parsley:  swap in any soft, green herb! You need 2 cups of any herbs.
• Scallions:  1 small shallot, or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.
• Garlic:  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
• Olive oil:  any neutral oil such as avocado or grapeseed. Extra-virgin olive oil will burn on the grill, don’t use it!
• Chicken:  use any type of chicken you want! If you use bone-in, skin-on, you’ll need to add at least 5 to 7 minutes of cooking time. This would also be excellent with pork chops or pork tenderloin! Or shrimp!
• Zucchini, squash, and red bell pepper:  whatever vegetables you have/want to grill! Fennel! Red onion! Eggplant! Asparagus! Corn!
• Bread:  there’s no bread in my pics, which is a shame because it is GOOD with this meal. Don’t skimp on the bread. Use whatever kind you’ve got! Preferably something not from a plastic bag that’s been sitting in your pantry for a month but you know, you do you.
• Burrata:  feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, whatever. But daaaaamn that burrata is good!!!
• Arugula:  the arugula helps pull the platter together and make it into one cohesive meal versus a bunch of different elements. Baby spinach could work in its place, but it isn’t as pretty 🙂

Author: Caroline Chambers