Honey Balsamic Chicken
We tend to eat a lot of chicken. It would be safe to say 4-5 nights out of the week, we are eating chicken for dinner. Baking chicken every night just isn’t cutting it. I’ve gotten a little creative with the sauce I am marinating on the baked chicken but I have been looking for ways to spice up our dinners while still incorporating chicken into our diets. I stumbled across a recipe on Pinterest for honey balsamic chicken and figured I would give it a try. We had everything I needed for this recipe in my kitchen and the recipe seemed easy enough to do with two children running around.
After one bite my family and I were hooked. I have never seen my kids gobble up their dinner that quickly before. In fact, the kids liked it so much they asked for seconds, which is a rare event when it comes to dinner.
Not only are the strips tender and juicy, they are excellent as leftovers as well.
To get started pour 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, a clove of minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Next, slice the chicken into strips that are approximately 1 inch wide. Place the sliced chicken in a zip lock bag with your balsamic mixture and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Once the chicken is marinated, heat the leftover 1 TBSP of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until the olive oil is hot. Add your chicken strips and cook until golden brown on both sides (around 3 minutes on each side). I had to do this in 3 batches, but let me tell you… the third batch is my favorite and I save those pieces for me.
Leave all the sticky residue in the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and balsamic vinegar. Stir the mixture together, allowing the butter to melt and the residue on the bottom of the skillet to dissolve into the liquid. Stir in the honey and let the mixture bubble. Let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened.
Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and toss in the honey balsamic sauce. until the chicken is nicely coated.
Serve while hot! I paired mine with some sauteed kale and spinach.
Honey Balsamic Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 medium (1.5 lbs) chicken breasts
- 3/4 c balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- to taste salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal into six strips each. Place the strips in a quart sized zip top bag along with ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the strips until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). You may have to do two batches. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.
- Turn the heat down on the skillet to medium-low and add the butter and last 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the skillet. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and dissolve the sticky bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Once the mixture has dissolved together, add the honey, increase the heat, and allow the sauce to simmer until thickened (about five minutes).
- Once the sauce has thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper (I just used a pinch of each). Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss to coat in the warm balsamic sauce. Serve immediately.
