Balsamic Chicken

Good evening.

We had quite the day with all the tornado warnings & severe thunderstorms.  I'm glad it's all over, for now, at least. 

Tonight, I made balsamic chicken, garlicky broccoli and brown rice. 

You can reference my January 25th post for the recipe for garlicky broccoli.

The brown rice was just according to package directions - nothing fancy. 

I did a similar post on February 17th  called "Balsamic Honey Chicken...."  The marinade for this one is pretty similar, but it is a little more simple:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried tarragon (crushed in your hands)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, smashed


Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together (or shake together in a container).  Pour the marinade over 1.5 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are in a 9x13 baking dish.  Turn the chicken over in the marinade to coat it completely. 


Cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate the chicken for about two hours, turning the chicken over halfway through.


Remove the chicken from the fridge and set on the counter to begin the process of it coming to room temp.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.


Remove the foil and turn the chicken over once more.  Grind some freshly ground black pepper on top of the marinated chicken.  Replace the foil.


Once the oven is ready, bake the chicken for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked.  To check, carefully cut into the thickest part of one chicken breast (preferably one in the middle) and check to see if you see all white.  If not, bake for an additional 4-5 minutes or until it is done.  


Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.