Chicken with Balsamic Basil
Balsamic chicken that is juicy and cooked in one skillet, topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. This simple dish is quick to make and will quickly become a family favorite!
Try our basil chicken for additional dishes that just need one pan.
Overview
We love this balsamic chicken that cooks in one pan for dinner. It tastes great, is good for you, and can be cooked any time of year!
You can quickly fry the chicken breast on the skillet with some tasty homemade balsamic sauce. Then, to finish baking in the oven, add fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil on top.
You can make it on a weeknight without too much trouble. It goes nicely with anything that can soak up the sauce, including rice, mashed potatoes, or spaghetti.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of oil, such avocado or olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped up
- 1 tsp. Italian spices
- 1 Tbsp. of Dijon mustard
Tomato and mozzarella
- 8 ounces of grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine or pearls)
- 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Chicken
- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pressed to make them all the same thickness
- 2 tablespoons of avocado oil or another oil that can handle high heat
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Things you need
- balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and avocado oil
- Seasoning from Italy
- Dijon mustard with grape tomatoes
- balls of mozzarella
- fresh basil, chicken breast, and salt & pepper
Preparation Steps
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put it away.
- In another bowl, mix together the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put aside.
- Set the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a big skillet that can go in the oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to the chicken to taste. Add the chicken to the skillet in a single layer when the oil is hot and the pan is hot. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are faintly golden brown.
- Put in the mixture of balsamic sauce. It should start to simmer soon. Use a wooden spoon to get rid of any brown parts that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Take the skillet off the heat right away and pour the tomato mozzarella mixture over the chicken.
- Bake without a cover for 18 to 23 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. The inside temperature should be 165F. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for five minutes before serving.
How to Cook Chicken with Basil and Balsamic
Mix the balsamic sauce ingredients together with a whisk.
In another bowl, mix the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil together.
Cook the chicken breast over high heat until it is lightly browned. Add the balsamic sauce and let it boil.
Add mozzarella cheese and tomatoes on top. Bake at 400F until the chicken is fully cooked.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Without Bones?
Yes, you just need to change the cooking time. I suggest checking for doneness after 7 to 10 minutes because thighs cook quickly. Also, you don’t need to pound thighs because they are more tender and juicy than chicken breast.
How to Serve
This balsamic chicken in one pan is a terrific dish to serve with something that will soak up the tasty pan juices and sauce. Here are some of our top picks:
- Mashed Potatoes with Cheese
- Pilaf with Cauliflower Rice
- Rice with Pineapple
- Ricotta with Cauliflower Mash
- Noodles made with eggs
- Vegetables that have been roasted
- Quinoa
If you’re using ciliegine mozzarella, which is also called “cherry size” fresh mozzarella, cut it in half. If you’re using “pearls,” which are smaller mozzarella balls, you don’t need to split them in half.
Chicken: Put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Then, use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken until it is all the same thickness. Don’t forget to do this step. It makes the chicken cook evenly, makes the meat more soft, and keeps it moist.
Nutrition and Serving Size
Serving Size: around 6 ounces of chicken with sauce
- 380 calories
- 9.4 g of sugar
- 530.2 mg of sodium
- 17.2 g of fat
- 11.6 g of carbs
- 40.3 g of protein
- 93.5 mg of cholesterol
Original Recipe
This recipe was first published on September 28, 2017, and it didn’t call for balsamic vinegar. The recipe didn’t include balsamic vinegar; instead, it used a mix of substances that tasted like it. But it turned out to be too hard for a lot of people to understand, so we decided to add balsamic vinegar to the recipe. This is the recipe’s old version:
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup tomato sauce, juice from ½ lemon (approximately 1 ½ Tbsp.), and 2 lbs. 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved, 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to an even thickness), and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter.
ciliegine (fresh mozzarella balls), 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil, kosher salt, and fresh black pepper. Mix the soy sauce, tomato sauce, and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Toss the chicken in the marinade to coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes. Mix the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil together while the chicken is marinating. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put it away. Set the oven at 400 F.
In a large oven-safe skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Take the chicken out of the marinade and put it in the heated skillet. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for 1–2 minutes on each side, or until faintly golden brown. As soon as you take the chicken off the fire, spread the tomato mozzarella mixture on top and bake it uncovered for 18 to 23 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for five minutes before serving.