Succulent chicken breast with cherry tomatoes and pesto with a buttery lemon sauce? Yes please! This classic Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Margherita copycat recipe has been revamped to be lower in calories and points, but just as tasty as the dish you get at Olive Garden.
This Margherita chicken tastes super decadent and juicy but comes is much lighter than the real thing. If you’re following WW, you’ll glad to know it’s only 4 points per serving. It’s on the table in under half an hour and even if it tastes complex it actually couldn’t be simpler to make.
Why you should try this Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Margherita (Copycat) recipe
- Quick to make but this chicken Margherita recipe will impress dinner guests and picky eaters alike.
- Full of flavor but low in points, each breast has only 4 points.
- Versatile, can be served on pasta, with crusty bread or a side salad and grilled vegetables.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts, 2
- Italian salad dressing, light, ½ cup
- Lemon, 1 juiced.
- Garlic, 3 cloves.
- Buttery spread, low fat, 1 tbsp
- Basil Pesto, ½ cup
- Low fat mozarella, shredded ½ cup
- Basil leaves
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin steaks. Place in a bowl with the italian dressing and leave to marinate 30 minutes-an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/375F. Heat a skillet over a medium-high heat and drizzle with oil. Add the chicken breasts once hot, cooking in two batches if required.
- Cook the chicken 5-6 minutes on the first side them turn. Cook a further 2 minutes then add the butter spread, lemon juice and black pepper to the pan, spooning the sauce over the chicken a few times. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sauce.
- Top the chicken with mozzarella, a few dollops of pesto and scatter the cherry tomatoes around.
- Bake 7-10 minutes until the cheese has melted the chicken cooked through. Serve with the sauce drizzled liberally drizzled over top.
Weight Watchers points breakdown
- Chicken Breasts, 2: 0 points
- Italian salad dressing, light, 1 cup: 6 points
- Lemon: 0 points
- Garlic: 0 points
- Light buttery spread, 1 tbsp: 2 points
- Basil Pesto, ½ cup: 6 points
- Low fat mozzarella, shredded ½ cup: 4 points
- Basil leaves: 0 points
Variations and substitutions
- If you have extra points available, switch the margarine spread for salted butter for a richer taste.
- You can switch the italian dressing with any homemade marinade or your favorite oil based dressing.
- Serve with fettuccine or a crunchy garden salad for a traditional Italian meal.
Tips and tricks
- The chicken cooks further in the oven so don’t worry about checking for doneness in the pan. It turns out perfectly juicy and succulent thanks to all the juices it’s baked in.
- This can be eaten the next day in a sandwich if there are ever any leftovers. I always crack fresh black pepper over the top of the final dish and squeeze another lemon over the top.
Olive Garden Grilled Margherita Chicken (Copycat) Recipe
Under half an hour cook time, this Margherita chicken will taste super decadent and juicy but comes in at only 4 points per serving.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- ½ cup Italian salad dressing, light
- 1 Lemon juice
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Buttery spread, low fat
- ½ cup Basil Pesto
- ½ cup Low fat mozarella, shredded
- Basil leaves
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin steaks. Place in a bowl with the italian dressing and leave to marinate 30 minutes-an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/375F. Heat a skillet over a medium-high heat and drizzle with oil. Add the chicken breasts once hot, cooking in two batches if required.
- Cook the chicken 5-6 minutes on the first side them turn. Cook a further 2 minutes then add the butter spread, lemon juice and black pepper to the pan, spooning the sauce over the chicken a few times. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sauce.
- Top the chicken with mozzarella, a few dollops of pesto and scatter the cherry tomatoes around.
- Bake 7-10 minutes until the cheese has melted the chicken cooked through. Serve with the sauce drizzled liberally drizzled over top.
Nutrition
Serving: 200gCalories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 8.5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2.3gCholesterol: 4.5mgSodium: 547mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 5.8gCalcium: 90mgIron: 2.5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great recipe, family favorite. If i wanted to make this for an event, how much of this, if any, can be prepared ahead of time. Looking to do whatever I can the night before.
This is a tough one to do ahead, but you could try marinating. I can’t say I’ve tried marinating the chicken longer than an hour though.