Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Juicy balsamic chicken is so flavorful, with a sweet-and-tangy sauce and jammy blistered tomatoes. It goes from stovetop to oven, easy peasy!
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large oven-safe skillet, small bowl or liquid measuring cup
Servings: 4
Blistered Tomatoes = Weeknight Chicken Upgrade
Balsamic chicken with blistered tomatoes looks like something you’d order at a nice Italian restaurant, but it comes together in one pan in less than an hour. The pan sauce is uncomplicated but elevated, thanks to balsamic, butter, and blistered tomatoes (which just sound fancy…or gross…but we’ll go with fancy).
It’s the kind of dinner where you’ll want bread on the table. Trust me on this.
What makes it special:
- Golden seared chicken: Browning the chicken first on the stovetop adds so much more flavor than simply baking it.
- The most delectable sauce: The sauce is so easy but it’s lip-smacking good! Tangy balsamic vinegar, a touch of honey, and Dijon mustard build a pan sauce with so much depth.
- Blistered tomatoes: The tomatoes blister and burst in the oven, adding another layer of deliciousness to the sauce. You’re going to want warm crusty bakery bread to serve with this recipe!
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card but here’s what you’ll need and why it works.
- Chicken breasts: We prefer to make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts. They cook more evenly and the sauce enhances them with so much flavor. They should be roughly the same size and thickness; trim them if they vary a lot. The chicken is seasoned with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and browned in olive oil.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: Their sweetness gets concentrated in the oven.
- Tangy sweet sauce: The base of the sauce is balsamic vinegar. Look for a good quality vinegar; it should have almost a syrupy consistency. A tablespoon of honey balances the acidity; Dijon and garlic add plenty of flavor.
- Butter: I like to stir a tablespoon of butter into the sauce at the end of the cooking time for a rich, velvety sauce.
- Fresh basil or parsley: Fresh herbs add a fresh, bright finish.
How to Make Balsamic Chicken With Blistered Tomatoes
Preheat the oven. Prep the sauce and chicken. Preheat your oven to 425°F. This is important because, once you brown the chicken, you want the oven to be ready to finish cooking the chicken.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic.
Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Sear the chicken. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes per side, until it’s golden. It won’t be fully cooked yet and that’s fine. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Blister the tomatoes. In the same skillet, over medium high heat, add the tomatoes. Let them cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes so they begin to blister and split, with dark brown spots. Stir the tomatoes lightly, then return the chicken to the pan, nestling it in with the tomatoes. Pour the balsamic sauce over the chicken and tomatoes.
Roast. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Try not to overcook the chicken.
Finish the sauce. Remove the skillet from the oven (remember to use an oven mitt!) and transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir a tablespoon of butter into the sauce until it melts. It works best if the butter has been softened slightly so it melts more quickly. I usually take the butter out of the refrigerator when I begin cooking.
Slice and serve. Slice the chicken and spoon the balsamic tomato sauce over it. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley, and serve right away.
Serving Suggestions
- Grains: This balsamic chicken with blistered tomatoes is amazing with creamy Instant Pot polenta! It would also go well with other grains to soak up the sauce, like hearty Instant Pot farro, quinoa, jasmine rice, or basmati rice.
- Crusty bread: I love this Dutch oven bread but if you don’t have the time to bake bread, good bakery bread is fine, too. Be sure to warm it up first!
- Mashed potatoes: A little less conventional, but mashed red potatoes would also be great for making sure none of the fabulous sauce goes to waste!
Refrigerator: Store leftover balsamic chicken with blistered tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This is not a recipe that will freeze well.
To reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat or microwave until heated through.
More Chicken Recipes
Balsamic Chicken with Blistered Tomatoes
Ingredients
For Sauce:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
For Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (about 10 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil or chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic to make sauce. Set aside.¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Pat chicken dry and season both sides with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden but not fully cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add cherry tomatoes to the same hot skillet. Let them cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes so they begin to blister and split, with dark brown spots. Stir once, lightly, then return chicken to the pan, nestling it among the tomatoes. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and tomatoes.1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, and transfer the chicken to a clean plate.
- Gently stir butter into sauce until melted and glossy.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Slice chicken, arrange on serving plates, and spoon sauce over the top. Sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley, and serve immediately.2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil or chopped parsley
Notes
- Chicken: The chicken should be cut into 4 portions, roughly about the same size. If the package you buy only contains 2 chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise as evenly as you can.
- Cooking tip: Try not to overcook the chicken. The internal temperature should be nearly 165°F when you remove it from the oven. It will continue to rise a few more degrees while you finish making the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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