Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Mozzarella Melts

Photo: Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post

These tasty towers of marinated grilled chicken layered with marinara, grilled vegetables and melted mozzarella not only look gorgeous on the plate, but also brim with savory flavor in each bite.

To make the four servings indicated, only half of each vegetable is needed, but it’s a good idea to grill all of the vegetables at once, because it can be done ahead and the extra vegetables can be used in sandwiches, grain bowls or salads. I know you are going to love these Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Mozzarella Melts.

Make Ahead: The vegetables may be grilled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Mozzarella Melts

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, or more if grilling the entire vegetables

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, or more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, or more as needed

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each) pounded to 1/2-inch thick

1 small globe eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded

1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia

1/4 cup prepared marinara sauce, at room temperature

2 ounces fresh mozzarella, very thinly sliced

4 fresh basil leaves, or more to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the oil, the vinegar, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Transfer the marinade to a zip-top plastic bag, add the garlic, then the chicken. Seal the bag, pressing out excess air, and squish the contents around with your fingers to distribute the marinade evenly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.

Slice the eggplant, pepper and onion in half horizontally. Cut each into eight 1/4-inch thick slices or rounds. (You’ll use about half of each vegetable for this recipe. You can cook all the slices and reserve the unused portion for other uses, or reserve them uncooked. If using entire vegetables, brush with additional oil and season with additional salt and pepper.)

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the sliced vegetables on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, in batches if necessary, until they are tender and have grill marks, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any pieces of garlic that are clinging to the chicken. (Discard the marinade.) Reduce the grill heat to medium and grill the chicken, until nearly cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board or large plate.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the marinara over each piece of chicken. Top with two slices each of the grilled eggplant and pepper, and then add a few grilled onion slices. Distribute the cheese on top of each, then return the stacks to the grill, cover and grill until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Top each piece with basil and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: Calories 435; Total Fat 24g; (Sat Fat 5g); Protein 42g; Carb 13g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 118mg; Sodium 600mg; Total Sugar 7g