Delicious Balsamic Chicken

My friend Tracy sent me this delicious recipe a couple of years ago.  We had it several times and then, like far too many recipes, it fell off of our radar.  It shouldn’t have because not only is it really good, it’s also really easy.  I had this great coupon for red potatoes and this recipe jumped in my head as I stood in the produce section.  I already had everything else at home and I’m sure you do as well.  It’s a great weeknight dinner, get it going then talk with your family while the kitchen fills with good smells.

Since we live on the face of the sun in the summer, we cook outside as much as possible.  Mark loves his Traeger and jumps with joy each and every time we use it.  The oven portion of this recipe was going to happen in the Traeger.

The marinade comes together in seconds.  Whisk balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard along with salt and pepper in a bowl then pour over the chicken.  I like to use a Ziploc bag.  Let that hang out in the refrigerator for a bit, 30 minutes to an hour.

While your chicken chills in the frig, cut the red potatoes and put them in a bowl.  Add olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Give them a good stir and cover until needed.

When you’re ready to get cooking, heat the olive oil in an oven safe skillet, we use our cast iron for this.  Add the chicken and marinade and sear for two minutes on each side.

Add potatoes and make them cozy with the chicken.  I didn’t measure out the cut potatoes and I’m pretty sure we had more than two cups.  Oh well, more yummy red potatoes for us.  Top that with some fresh rosemary sprigs and put the skillet in a heated 425 degree oven.

Or, if you’re finishing it outside like we did, put the skillet in a heated Traeger.  Recipe time is 20 minutes but since these thighs were the size of a small city, we checked them at 20 minutes then added another 20.

They look so good when done.  The potatoes on the top were a little crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside while the potatoes down in the sauce were perfectly soft with a touch of sweet.   The chicken’s skin was a bit charred but the inside was moist and tasty.  When we pulled it off the grill, we had a line of neighbors standing in our backyard, plates in hand.  Just kidding, but by the smell of it I would not have been surprised.

Since we are currently watching our weight, we paired this with a nice little salad.  And as always, we made too much so now there are leftovers currently in the frig waiting for me for lunch.  Is it noon yet?

Print Recipe

Balsamic Chicken

Recipe Credit: Delish

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1.5 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 cups baby red potatoes, cut in half or quartered if larger
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided (I use Queen Creek Olive Mill Balanced Extra Virgin)
• Rosemary Sprig

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine balsamic, honey, mustard, and garlic and season with salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Put chicken thighs in a large resealable bag and pour marinate over, making sure to coat each thigh well.  Marinate at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Cut potatoes in half and put in a medium bowl. Add rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until combined. Cover and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add chicken and marinade and sear, skin side down, 2 minutes, then flip and sear 2 minutes more. Add potatoes to skillet, nestling them between chicken, and top with rosemary sprigs.

Transfer to the oven and bake until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, 20 minutes. Depending on the size of your thighs, cooking time may be longer. Potatoes may need more time.  If that’s the case, remove chicken and cover until potatoes are done.

NOTE:  We used the Traeger for our oven.  If you do this, check the internal temperature at 20 minutes.  Cooking time may vary.