30 Minute Balsamic Chicken

The First Time I Made 30 Minute Balsamic Chicken

The first time I made this 30 Minute Balsamic Chicken recipe, it was late afternoon and my people (husband and 3 teen girls) would soon be coming home hungry. Inevitably, they would ask me the familiar question; “What’s for dinner?”

I had chicken breasts thawed but little inspiration as to what do with them.  I was sitting in my car outside my local health food store and googled “quick dinner chicken.”

I scrolled a bit and came upon a recipe from AllRecipes for Balsamic Chicken. I remembered I had a good quality balsamic vinegar at home and saw that the recipe was quick and easy.

I went inside and bought a couple of onions, green peppers, and some canned tomatoes (on sale!) and headed home excited to try a new recipe and get my people fed in less than 30 minutes!

Jump to Recipe

The original recipe did not call for green pepper, but I have had a favorite Balsamic Chicken dish at a local restaurant and the best part is the onion and pepper strips all soft and sweet in the balsamic sauce. The natural sweetness brought out in the peppers and onions while sauteeing compliments the slight tang of the balsamic vinegar, so I went with the pepper!

Note: a good quality balsamic vinegar should also have a natural sweetness. Cheaper vinegar has too much tang. Quality balsamic vinegar is key for balanced flavors in this dish! I love and use a bottle from Trader Joes, pictured above.

After you slice your peppers and onions (the hardest part of this recipe) make sure your pan is hot enough to brown your chicken breasts. The trick is to let them be! It is tempting to mess with the chicken too soon and then it sticks. Let it form a nice brown crust on med-high heat and you will have no issues with it sticking to the pan.

You may notice the recipe calls for 6 chicken breasts and I only have 2 in the photos. We liked this recipe so much I made it again the following day with two pieces of chicken I had on hand so I could photograph it for you all!

Midwest winters and an early setting sun make it really hard to take nice photos for you all at dinner time, so I made it again for lunch.

Once the chicken is browned, you add the onion and pepper strips. You could also add mushrooms at this time if you are a mushroom lover! They would be delish in this recipe. If you do this you may want to double the sauce.

After the vegetables cook down, you simply add the rest of the ingredients (spices, tomatoes & vinegar) and then let the chicken and vegetables cook and absorb the amazing flavor of the sauce.

I like to serve this with a simple kale salad. Any green vegetable will do…broccoli, asparagus, green beans…they all would go great with this meal.

You can serve it over rice, angel hair pasta, risotto, mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice. I went for the cauliflower rice and it was delicious! I also like to slice the chicken before serving. There is less waste that way, as some of my family members cannot eat a whole chicken breast.

Let me know if you try this 30-minute meal! Make it when your family will be coming home hungry and you have chicken breasts on hand with very little time to make dinner. I am sure your people will love it as much as my people did!

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30 Minute Balsamic Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Recipe Type: Meals

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken breasts skinless boneless halves
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil I used avocado oil
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Instructions

1. Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat; cook seasoned chicken breasts until chicken is browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
3. Add onion and green pepper; cook and stir until onion is translucent and pepper is softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pour diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken; season with basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. (I like to mix them in a small bowl first, then sprinkle on.)
5. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Do you like 30 Minute Meals? If so, you should also try my 30 Minute Sloppy Joes. They have been a very popular recipe here on the blog and have gone viral on Pinterest.

Should I continue to share 30 Minute Meals at New Nostalgia?

Do you love balsamic vinegar as much as I do?