Grilled Honey-Balsamic Chicken with Vegetables

With a three-ingredient marinade (that doubles as a basting sauce!) and less than 20 minutes of cook time, this easy chicken-and-veg dinner is fast enough for a weeknight meal, but also works as a very chill dinner for a weekend cookout. 

Butterflying Your Chicken Breasts

Butterfly the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and get multiple benefits. This makes them thinner, which speeds up the cooking. It also increases the surface area, so they absorb more sauce and get even more tasty charred grill marks. The butterflied breasts are in the marinade for as long as it takes you to prep the vegetables for the grill, so it’s an efficient use of your time.

Save Time By Grilling Your Vegetables Whole

To cut down on prep time, the ears of corn, and peppers and onions are grilled in large pieces and then cut into chunks when they come off the grill. This also makes everything easier to maneuver on the grill. They all get a rough chop and a toss before you serve, but if you’re feeling truly lazy, you could just cut the ears of corn in half and divvy up the veggies as they are.

Kick up the summer vibes with a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil. It really “ties the room together,” so to speak. 

A Pantry Marinade That Doubles as a Glaze

The key to this recipe is that the marinade—just honey, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard—doubles as a glaze. The chicken gets an extra dose of flavor via basting halfway through. The honey and mustard give the sauce a bit of viscosity, so it clings to the chicken and the honey helps caramelize the meat so you will have those professional-looking grill marks.

When working with marinades that double as a glaze please note—safety first! Be sure to reserve the marinade you’ll use for basting before you add the chicken to the marinade to prevent any cross-contamination. 

Swaps and Upgrades

• Try red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic. 
• Swap in spicy brown mustard or whole grain mustard. 
• Substitute chopped parsley or thinly sliced chives or scallion for the fresh basil. 
• Want it spicy? Whisk in a few pinches of cayenne or dial down the vinegar and shake in a few dashes of a vinegar-based hot sauce. 
• Add minced garlic and/or ginger for another layer of flavor.

The marinade would be great on pork chops or pork tenderloin if you don’t have chicken, and any solo vegetable or combo of veggies work here.

• Zucchini and squash 
• Asparagus and shallot 
• Cauliflower and sweet potato  

Just be sure to slice your veg here so that they’ll cook in 18 to 20 minutes and come off the grill with the chicken.

Sides for This Grilled Chicken

Keep the meal veggie-heavy by serving with a crunchy salad—iceberg or romaine would work well. Or make it a more substantial and pair with white or brown rice, roasted potatoes, or egg noodles tossed with a little butter and more basil.

More Weeknight Chicken and Veg Combos

• Skillet Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Carrots, and Greens
• One Pan Paprika Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes
• Ranch Roasted Chicken and Vegetables 
• Skillet Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables