Chicken with balsamic reduction is one of my favorite dishes ever and I make it all the time. Balsamic Chicken is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight or weekend. It’s so versatile and has a rich taste that goes with many side dishes from green beans to pasta. Chicken breasts are cooked in a skillet, then transferred to the oven where they get finished off with some wine and balsamic vinegar.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce
This dish for family-friendly chicken breast will delight everyone. For the balsamic-honey sauce to absorb, serve on polenta or orzo.
Recipe Summary
Yield:
4 servings (serving size: 1 breast and 2 tablespoons sauce)
Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
- ½ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
- Chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
Instructions Checklist
- Step 1Combine the vinegar, honey, and broth.
- Step 2In a sizable nonstick skillet over low heat, melt the butter and oil.
- Step 3: Season the chicken with salt and pepper while the butter is melting. Put flour in a small bowl. Chicken should be floured and the excess shaken off.
- Step 4: Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook the butter for two minutes, or until it turns golden brown. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown, in a pan. Keep heated after removing chicken from pan. Add the shallots and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth mixture while scraping browned bits free. boil, then simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Apply sauce to the chicken. If desired, add some chopped parsley as a garnish.
Chef’s Notes
To assure the chicken gets done, use breasts on the small side, about 4 to 5 ounces each.
Nutrition Facts
Per Serving:
269 calories; calories from fat 27%; fat 8.1g; saturated fat 2.7g; mono fat 2g; poly fat 2.5g; protein 34g; carbohydrates 13.1g; fiber 0.2g; cholesterol 90mg; iron 1.7mg; sodium 331mg; calcium 29mg.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breast in Balsamic Reduction Sauce Recipe
What Is Balsamic Vinegar?
This exquisite vinegar was produced by artisans in Modena, Italy, as early as 900 years ago. It was used as a health tonic and given as a sign of respect. It is ideal for enhancing the sweetness of meals, particularly fruits. With strawberries, it looks gorgeous.
Some balsamic varietals can mature for a century. These are obviously extremely pricey. Reducing and concentrating their sweetness can greatly enhance cheaper, grocery store types.
Pan Seared Chicken Breast in Balsamic Reduction Sauce Recipe
There are many wonderful things about this cuisine. It is quick, easy, cheap, and healthful. This delicious treatment for chicken is savory and rich, making it quick and simple enough for family meals while also being sophisticated enough for company. The chicken is seared over a moderately high heat, which gives the dish its main flavor punch. A small amount of butter is added at the end to enhance the flavor.
With just three ingredients, the sauce comes together quickly and is finished reducing while the chicken rests. This dish will let you continue to enjoy your company or your family as you cook if you assemble the fewest number of components ahead of time. That dish is perfect for any day or celebration!
I enjoy eating plain food that is only seasoned with salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Complication in both life and cuisine is never a good thing.
Tips for Success
A couple of things to keep in mind.
Purchase Skin-On, Bone-In Breasts to Cut Costs
Although the cost of this dish is already very inexpensive, you can further reduce it by buying skin-on, bone-in breasts and deboning them yourself. I did just that after discovering this particular batch for $1.38 per pound. Four decent-sized pieces came in the bundle for less than $6 overall. The remaining components cost less than another $1.50, and this delicious dish served six people for a total of roughly $7.50. True, you should keep an eye on the sales, but it can happen, and deboning and skinning the chicken yourself can be quite helpful.
Buy Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
Don’t overdo it with the balsamic vinegar, but make sure you purchase a nice one because you’ll concentrate the taste for the sauce, so it must be a high-quality item. While using a 30-year-old variety is not required, it is advisable to locate one that is at least good for the next 5-7 years. You shouldn’t decrease truly nice, aged balsamic vinegar because it is deserving of being a sauce all by itself. Use the premium stuff when serving ice cream and strawberries. If you are unfamiliar with the brand, taste the basic vinegar before using it. Make sure the flavor is to your liking and that there is no bitterness, which can occur with some of the less costly brands. This step may need some trial and error. I’ve discovered some low-cost types that are excellent and some that are just dreadful. In the event that you produce one that simply isn’t nice, red wine vinegar might be used in place of the balsamic. Avoid focusing on the bad tastes.
On the other hand, if you are unfamiliar with the brand of basic vinegar, taste it first before using it. Make sure the flavor is to your liking and that there is no bitterness, which can occur with some of the less costly brands. This step may need some trial and error. I’ve discovered some low-cost types that are excellent and some that are just dreadful. Find a brand that is reasonably priced and has positive reviews online, then give it a shot for yourself. In the event that you produce one that simply isn’t nice, red wine vinegar might be used in place of the balsamic. It is simply not worth it to concentrate the disagreeable flavors of a subpar balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4-6)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (homemade if possible)
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Activate the medium-high heat under a sizable skillet. Heat the pan’s olive oil after adding it.
- Add salt, pepper, and the powdered garlic and onion to both sides of the chicken pieces. Add the chicken to the pan after the oil and pan are very hot. Depending on the size, let it sear on the side for 8 to 9 minutes without moving.
- After flipping the chicken once, cook the second side for an additional 8 to 9 minutes. Now both sides ought to have a stunning, rich, deep golden-brown crust. The chicken should rest after being transferred to a platter.
- While whisking vigorously and scraping up the fond (the brown bits from the pan’s bottom), add chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to the heated skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and let it cook for approximately a third of the time, or until it slightly thickens. Whisk in the butter after adding it to the pan.
- Taste the sauce and season it to your liking with salt and pepper. Add freshly chopped parsley on top of the sauced chicken on the plate. I’m done!
Hey! What’s a Pan Sauce, Anyway?
Pan sauces are precisely what they sound like and pose no threat. Use the “fond” to prepare a sauce after searing a piece of protein, such as chicken, hog, beef, or fish. Fond, which is simply French for “foundation,” refers to the browned residue that remains in the skillet after something has been seared.
The brown pieces in the pan are “deglazed” with balsamic vinegar once the chicken has finished cooking. The brown parts are simply scraped out from the hot skillet after adding liquid, and the sauce is then made. Instead of discarding those flavorful brown bits, which pack a powerful flavor punch, making a sauce from them transforms a basic dish into one fit for a restaurant.
After attempting this recipe, experiment with the method using different ingredients. Replace the vinegar with white or red wine, cider vinegar with pork, steak with red wine, or fish with broth. You’ll rapidly come to love this technique, which will make your food better.