I love this chicken with balsamic sauce!! It's so easy and so yummy!!
I think the hardest part is to cut the bell peppers, and remove the seeds. That's how simple this recipe is!
Why this chicken with balsamic sauce is so easy to make
I'm a big fan of food made in the oven. First, because you don't have to be there, stirring a pot for the whole time; you can just place it in the oven and go do something else. Second, because it can give your food a really nice look and texture, that sometimes is hard to achieve on the stove top.
For this recipe I chose chicken thighs, because they have a wonderful flavor and are so moist. I already bought it boneless and skinless, so there was no prep.
Then I just put the whole chicken thighs in a rimmed baking sheet, added salt and pepper to my taste and put it the oven. It couldn't be easier, right??
While the thighs were cooking, I cut the bell pepper. I like to add the bell pepper halfway through the cooking time, so it won't burn or be too soft, but it'll still get that nice charred color and flavor.
Once the bell pepper was added to the chicken, and went inside the oven for 10 more minutes, I started to work on the sauce.
The Balsamic Sauce
The balsamic sauce has a fancy name, but don't worry, it's super easy to make.
You basically add most of the ingredients to a bowl and mix.
The only thing that I like to do is saute the garlic with olive oil, to give the sauce a nice touch. So, instead of just adding the garlic and oil in the bowl, I add them directly to the skillet, saute the garlic for a little bit, and then add the ingredients from the bowl. Stir everything together until the liquid thickens and voila! Sauce is ready.
Note that this is not a super thick sauce. It's just slightly thickened to give the chicken and bell pepper a light coat.
Modifications to this recipe
Some people prefer chicken breasts. If that's your case, don't worry, it will work anyways. I would just recommend pounding the breasts a little bit to make it thinner and even.
You can also sub or add other vegetables, just keep in mind that cooking times vary according to the chosen vegetables.
Oven Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Bell pepper
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
- 1 big bell pepper (any color, cut into strips or squares)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Handful of cilantro or parsley (roughly chopped)
For the Balsamic Sauce
- ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup chicken broth (you can use the juice released from the cooked chicken)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 big garlic clove, minced
Instructions
For the Chicken and Bell peppers
- Place oven grate in the center of the oven. Turn on Broil on HI.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with silicone mat or place aluminum foil and spray it.
- Place chicken thighs on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Broil chicken for 10 minutes. In the meanwhile, cut bell pepper into strips or squares.
- Once the 10 minutes are over, remove the baking sheet from the oven and, with the help of a tong, turn each of them over. Add bell pepper on a single layer, and bring baking sheet back to the oven for 10 more minutes.
For the Balsamic Sauce
- In a very small glass bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar and cornstarch. Once cornstarch is dissolved, add juice from the cooked chicken (equivalent to ⅓ cup) or any chicken broth, brown sugar and ginger. Set it aside.
- In a large skillet, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and saute minced garlic, until it starts to change color, then give the balsamic mixture one more stir and pour it in the skillet. Stir it with a whisk, until it boils and thickens. Once it thickens, turn off the heat.
Assembling
- After chicken is cooked through (it should reach 165ºF), place thighs on a cutting board and cut them into strips.Place cut chicken thighs and bell pepper in the skillet and give it a stir to coat everything with the balsamic sauce.Sprinkle the chopped cilantro or parsley.Serve it warm with some white rice.Enjoy it!!
Leave a Reply