Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken — Tastes Fancy, Ridiculously Easy
Tastes Fancy. Ridiculously Easy. Mediterranean Diet Approved.
This maple balsamic grilled chicken tastes fancy but is ridiculously easy — and yes, it is Mediterranean diet approved. The marinade is six ingredients you almost certainly already have: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, real maple syrup, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. The chicken sits in it for at least six hours (overnight is even better), then it spends two to three minutes per side on the grill and you are done. Dinner takes longer to cool than it does to cook.
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Watch me make this maple balsamic grilled chicken from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
- Product of Modena, Italy
- Perfect for slow-cooked foods like soups or beans, or use as a deglazing liquid for meat based...
• A good balsamic is what makes this chicken taste fancy without being any harder. I keep a bottle on hand all summer for grilling.
- Brought to you by Whole Foods Market. The packaging for this product has a fresh new look. During...
- Tapped from certified organic maple trees, our Dark Maple Syrup is robust with strong notes of...
• Real maple syrup — not pancake syrup — is the secret that turns balsamic and olive oil into a marinade my whole family loves. Grade A Dark is what I use because it stands up to the grill.
- One 2 ounce container of Ground Thyme
- Brings a light, minty flavor to dishes
• Thyme is the herb that quietly ties this whole marinade together — a little earthiness against the sweetness of the maple and the tang of the balsamic. Mediterranean diet approved, and it lives in my spice drawer year-round.
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Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using) in a large baking dish until well combined.
- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thin cutlets. If breasts are especially thick, slice in half again.
- Add chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight for best flavor.
- Preheat grill to 375–425°F.
- Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and place on the hot grill.
- Grill 2–3 minutes per side, until the chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature.
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Why This Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken Works
The reason this maple balsamic grilled chicken tastes fancy is the maple syrup. Real maple syrup brings a depth of sweetness you do not get from sugar or honey, and when it meets balsamic vinegar on a hot grill, the natural sugars caramelize and the chicken gets this beautiful glaze that looks like you tried way harder than you did. The thyme rounds everything out with that quiet earthiness, and the olive oil keeps everything moist while the chicken cooks fast.
The other reason this recipe is on heavy rotation at our house is because it is honest-to-goodness Mediterranean diet approved. Lean grilled protein, good olive oil , a real-food sweetener in maple syrup, and a single dried herb. No cream, no butter, no shortcut ingredients. It feels like a treat without being a splurge, and that combination is hard to land in a weeknight dinner.
I cut my chicken breasts in half horizontally so they grill thin and fast. This is the trick — if you grill a whole 8-ounce chicken breast, the outside chars before the inside cooks through and you end up with sad, dry chicken. Cut them in half horizontally to make them roughly the thickness of a chicken cutlet, and they cook in two to three minutes per side at 375 to 425 degrees. The grill marks happen, the inside stays juicy, and dinner is on the table.
A Few Things That Make Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken Even Easier
- Marinate in the morning, grill in the afternoon. I throw the chicken in the marinade in the morning while I am making coffee, and by the time I am ready to fire up the grill that afternoon, it has had a full six to eight hours to soak up everything. Overnight is even better. You can do as little as one hour in a pinch, but the longer it sits, the more flavor it absorbs.
- Cut the chicken breasts thin. This is the single biggest tip I can give you for grilling chicken. Slice each breast in half horizontally so you have two thin cutlets, and if a breast is especially thick, slice it in half again. Thin chicken cooks fast, which means it does not char on the outside before it cooks through on the inside.
- Grill between 375 and 425 degrees. Hot enough for grill marks, not so hot that the maple syrup burns. Two to three minutes per side and the chicken is done. I keep an instant-read meat thermometer right by the grill and pull the chicken at 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Do not pour the leftover marinade over the cooked chicken. Raw chicken was sitting in it. If you want extra sauce, set aside a couple of tablespoons of the marinade BEFORE you add the chicken, and use that for finishing. Or boil the used marinade for a full minute and a half to make it safe — but honestly, easier to just set some aside upfront.
- A pinch of cayenne is the move. Optional, but the recipe is built for it. A small pinch of cayenne wakes up the sweet and the tangy without making the chicken spicy — it just keeps the flavors from feeling one-note. Worth trying once.
Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I grill maple balsamic grilled chicken?
Grill at 375 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for two to three minutes per side, assuming the chicken breasts are sliced thin (which they should be — see the tips section above). Pull the chicken when an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part. Total grill time is about five to six minutes from start to finish. If you grill whole thick breasts without slicing them, you will need closer to six to eight minutes per side and you risk burning the outside before the inside is done.
How long do I marinate the chicken for maple balsamic grilled chicken?
At least six hours, and overnight if you can. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the more flavor it pulls in and the more tender it gets thanks to the acid in the balsamic vinegar. One hour is the absolute minimum if you are in a rush, but you will taste the difference between one hour and six. I usually mix the marinade in the morning before things get crazy, drop the chicken in, and forget about it until dinner.
Can I bake maple balsamic chicken instead of grilling it?
Absolutely. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, place the marinated chicken on a sheet pan lined with parchment, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes for thin-sliced cutlets or 25 to 30 minutes for whole breasts. Same internal temperature of 165 degrees applies. You will not get the grill marks or the char, but the maple-balsamic flavor still shines and it is the version I make all winter when grilling outside is not an option.
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
You can, but it changes the recipe. Honey is sweeter and floral where maple syrup is woodsy and deep, and the depth is what gives this chicken its fancy-tasting quality. If you only have honey, use a tablespoon and a half instead of the two tablespoons of maple, and you will get a perfectly good chicken — it will just lean more honey-glazed than maple-balsamic. For the recipe as written, real maple syrup is worth a trip to the grocery store.
Is maple balsamic grilled chicken Mediterranean diet approved?
Yes. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, real maple syrup, and herbs are all Mediterranean diet staples, and lean grilled poultry is one of the recommended protein sources in the eating pattern. Serve it over a bed of greens with a roasted vegetable or two and you have a Mediterranean-diet dinner that does not feel like a diet dinner at all. This is one of the few recipes that legitimately checks the boxes without sacrificing flavor.
Can I make maple balsamic grilled chicken ahead of time?
You can do the marinade and the chicken prep up to 24 hours ahead, and you can grill the chicken a few hours before dinner and serve it warm or at room temperature. The grilled chicken also keeps beautifully in the fridge for three to four days — I love it sliced over a salad for lunch the next day. I do not recommend freezing once it is cooked because the texture changes, but you can freeze the chicken in the raw marinade in a zip-top bag for up to three months and thaw overnight in the fridge before grilling.
What do I serve with maple balsamic grilled chicken?
Grilled or roasted asparagus and a baked potato is my go-to combo — that is what is on the plate in the photo. Roasted green beans, a Caprese salad with summer tomatoes, or a big simple Greek salad all work beautifully. If you want to lean into the Mediterranean diet angle, serve it sliced over a bed of arugula with cherry tomatoes, olives, and a drizzle of olive oil. It is also genuinely good cold the next day, sliced over greens.
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Ingredients
Equipment
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
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- 4 Ingredient No-Peek Chicken and Rice — four ingredients, one pan, completely hands-off in the oven. The easiest dinner in my rotation.
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta — bright, fresh, and ready in 30 minutes. Another weeknight winner with simple ingredients.
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Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.