Grilled Chicken Margherita Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

This Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Margherita copycat tastes just like the restaurant favorite—but even better since it's made fresh at home. Tender, juicy chicken breasts are topped with melted mozzarella, drizzled with vibrant basil pesto, and finished with a zesty lemon garlic sauce. The result is a light yet flavor-packed Italian chicken dish that feels restaurant-quality but comes together easily in your own kitchen.

Why I Love This Grilled Chicken Margherita Recipe

The Grilled Chicken Margherita from Olive Garden has earned its spot as a fan favorite—and for good reason. Juicy, perfectly grilled chicken breasts are topped with melted mozzarella, a drizzle of vibrant basil pesto, and a tangy lemon garlic sauce that ties everything together. It’s fresh, flavorful, and satisfying without being heavy.

What I love about this copycat version is how simple it is to make at home. With just a handful of fresh ingredients, you can recreate that same restaurant-quality dish in your own kitchen—no reservation needed. The recipe is foolproof, works year-round (outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan), and always impresses at the table.

Serve it alongside warm garlic bread, Italian cheese bread, or even a crisp side salad, and you’ve got yourself an Italian-inspired dinner that tastes just as good—if not better—than what you’d order out.

Ingredients

Now, the ingredients list may look long, but I promise you it's worth it. Not to mention, most of the ingredients you need you probably already have, or you can easily find at any store.

Anyway, here's what you'll need:

• 2 pounds chicken breasts, divided in 4 portions
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• About ½ pound sliced mozzarella (1 slice for each piece of chicken)
• ½ cup pesto
• ¼ cup basil sliced thin
• 1 cup grape tomatoes

By the way, if you have to run to the store to pick up anything, grab some extra chicken breasts to make this Olive Garden chicken scampi or Olive Garden's chicken & shrimp carbonara next!

They're both knock-out chicken recipes that taste like it's from they're from the restaurant and are sure to be a big hit.

How To Make Chicken Margherita

From start to finish, this Olive Garden margherita chicken recipe takes only about 30 minutes to make. Half of that time is passive cooking. So it's a perfect busy weeknight meal to whip up for the family. And it's delicious leftover so you can enjoy some for lunch or dinner the next day! Now, enough delaying, grab the ingredients, and Olive Garden's grilled chicken margherita!

Step 1: Prep The Chicken

First, place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and then pound them lightly until they reach an even thickness. Then, remove them from the plastic, cut the chicken into 4 portions, and transfer them to a bowl.

Now pour the Italian dressing into the bowl and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes. When the time is up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C).

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

After the chicken marinates, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil to it. 

Now cook the chicken for a few minutes on both sides until golden brown. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and reserve it for later.

Step 3: Make the Lemon Garlic Sauce 

Next, add the butter, garlic, and lemon juice to the same pan that the chicken just cooked in. Let these ingredients cook for a few minutes on medium heat until the butter melts and the garlic is fragrant. 

Then, return the chicken to the pan with the lemon garlic sauce and toss it in all the buttery goodness.

Step 4: Bake The Chicken and Serve

And now all that's left to do is to bake the chicken! So, to do that, you'll want to transfer the chicken to a baking dish and make sure there is enough room for each one to lie flat.

Then, add the slices of mozzarella cheese on top of each chicken breast and pour the pesto sauce on top. Now, once it's ready, bake the chicken for about 15 minutes - or until the cheese bubbles. 

Finally, top it with some fresh basil and sliced juicy grape tomatoes and serve. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Pound the chicken evenly for consistent cooking:
  Don’t skip this step—pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness ensures they cook at the same speed. Uneven pieces will leave you with some parts dry and others undercooked. Aim for about ½-inch thickness across each breast for the juiciest results.
• Marinate for flavor and tenderness:
  Italian dressing works as a quick and flavorful marinade, adding acidity to tenderize the meat and seasoning to boost flavor. For best results, marinate at least 30 minutes, but up to 4 hours in the refrigerator will give you even deeper flavor.
• Deglaze the pan for a richer sauce:
  After searing the chicken, the little browned bits in the pan are flavor gold. Adding butter, garlic, and lemon juice not only makes the sauce fragrant but also lifts up those browned bits, giving the dish a more complex flavor.
• Use fresh mozzarella for better melting:
  While pre-shredded cheese works, fresh mozzarella slices melt creamier and give that gooey, stretchy texture you expect from an Olive Garden Grilled Chicken Margherita copycat.
• Bake just until the cheese bubbles:
  Overbaking can dry out the chicken. Keep a close eye and pull it from the oven once the mozzarella is melted and lightly browned around the edges—usually about 15 minutes.
• Finish with fresh toppings for balance:
  Adding grape tomatoes and fresh basil at the end provides a bright, fresh contrast to the rich, cheesy chicken. It’s the same finishing touch that makes the restaurant version so crave-worthy.
• Try the grill for added smokiness:
  For an even more authentic grilled chicken margherita, cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or grill pan instead of searing in a skillet. Then, finish the dish as written with the sauce, pesto, and cheese in the oven.

How To Store & Reheat Chicken Margherita

So, this recipe will make 4 chicken breasts or 4 servings. But if you need more servings, you can easily double or triple the recipe! 

Then, if you have any leftover grilled chicken margherita, wait for the chicken to cool, then transfer to an airtight container, and it'll last in the fridge for 3-4 days.

And then, to reheat the chicken without drying it out, you can either put it back in the oven, or heat it up in a skillet until warm.

My Final Thoughts

Well, that is how to make grilled chicken margherita Olive Garden style.

If you serve this to someone, they'd have no clue it wasn't from the restaurant! 

The freshness of the tomatoes and basil, metly mozzarella cheese, and flavorful lemon garlic butter combined with the juicy chicken is a meal that you'll want to make over and over again. 

Anyway, I hope you love this grilled chicken margherita recipe as much as I do. If you make it, leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!

And make sure to check out our Youtube, where we post recipe videos weekly! 

More Copycat Recipes

If you like recreating dishes from restaurants in the comfort of your own home, we have a ton of other copycat recipes you can try next! 

Here are some of our favorites for an easy dinner:

• Olive Garden Chicken Marsala
• Olive Garden Cheese Ravioli
• Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
• Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
• Olive Garden's Lasagna Fritta
• Olive Garden's Giant Cheese Stuffed Shells
• Ruth Chris's Stuffed Chicken
• Ruth Chris's Lobster Mac & Cheese
• Applebee's Bourbon Chicken & Shrimp