Last night Joe walked through the door at 7:15 p.m. and took one look at me, our children, our house, and laughed. To put it mildly, we were a little more disheveled than normal.
We had just gotten home from soccer practice, which was cut short since our mini athletes were having major meltdowns. In fairness.. it was 90 degrees outside. There was no dinner in sight, my 2 year old was rocking 3 pairs of his brother's batman underwear (and not much else), the laundry rivaled Mount Everest, the sink was still full of last night's dishes, and I won't even comment on my appearance.
Everyone was hot, tired, and HUNGRY. Aaahhhh... family bliss?.
On a more positive note... when I did serve the balsamic chicken skillet at 7:45, it was delicious. Best part, it was followed directly by bedtime!
This balsamic chicken skillet is PERFECT for these types of busy week-nights. 1 pan, 15 minutes, dinner done. The chicken is made from basic pantry items, packed with flavor, and doesn't require marinating so it can be thrown together in minutes! Simple food that looks fancy, my favorite!
Time Saving Tips and Tricks:
PREP: If you are feeling on top of life, you can marinate the chicken ahead of time. It will make this dish all the more simple. Just combine balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, dijon, and thyme with the chicken in a ziplock bag. Remove the air, and gently massage the chicken util the marinade is evenly spread. Refrigerate until ready. You could also go ahead and chop the onions and mince the garlic.
FREEZER: This balsamic chicken marinade works perfectly for a freezer meal. Mix the marinade in a ziplock bag just like above, but freeze instead of refrigerate. The night before you need it, pull it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge. It will be ready to go by dinner time!
Roasted Balsamic Chicken Thighs
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Onion, cut into ½ inch rings
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs (organic recommended)
- sea salt
- pepper
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS dijon mustard
- 2 Tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- In a large, non-stick skillet, heat olive oil, butter, and garlic (about 1 minute). Add onion and sauté until they begin to soften (about 5 minutes)
- While onions are cooking, take a rolling pin and roll gently over thicken thighs to level them out for even cooking. Sprinkle chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
- To the skillet, add chicken, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, and dried thyme. Stir often for about 8 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Remove chicken and onions from the skillet and onto platter. Drizzle with remaining pan juices. Serve immediately.
Helpful Hints:
- You could use chicken breast as well. Boneless thighs are just much more economical!
- When you first add the vinegar and dijon to the skillet you need to mix it around so that it creates a sauce. I like to use a baby whisk. A fork would work fine if you don't have one.
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