Description
One Pan Balsamic Chicken is a flavorful and easy-to-make dinner featuring tender chicken breasts cooked with a tangy balsamic sauce, topped with fresh grape tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. This dish combines stovetop searing and oven baking to deliver juicy chicken with a deliciously slightly caramelized balsamic glaze and melty cheese topping.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Tomato Mozzarella
- 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine or pearls)
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Chicken
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or other high-heat oil
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare sauce: In a bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Prepare tomato mozzarella topping: In a separate bowl, toss grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sear chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Cook each side for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Add sauce: Pour the prepared balsamic sauce over the chicken in the skillet. Allow it to come to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom for extra flavor.
- Top with tomato mozzarella: Remove the skillet from the heat and evenly spread the tomato and mozzarella mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Bake: Place the skillet uncovered in the preheated oven and bake for 23 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Rest and serve: Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving to allow juices to redistribute.
Notes
- If using ciliegine mozzarella (cherry-sized), cut the cheese balls in half. If using smaller mozzarella pearls, no need to cut.
- For even cooking and tender chicken, pound the breasts to an even thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a sealed bag using a mallet or rolling pin.
- Using an oven-safe skillet is important for transitioning from stovetop to oven seamlessly.
- Resting the chicken after baking ensures moist and juicy meat.
- You can substitute avocado oil with olive oil or other neutral high-heat oils.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
