These Balsamic Chicken Breasts are so easy to make yet incredibly flavorful and satisfying.
The chicken breasts are first pan-fried and then finished cooking in a delicious balsamic vinegar and honey sauce, which adds a mouthwatering sweet tang and helps keep the chicken moist and tender. Plus, it's a great way to use those pantry staples you already have.
You can pair these Balsamic Chicken Breasts with your favorite sides, like roasted veggies, fresh green salad, and crusty potatoes. If you're looking for a quick and delicious meal for your next family dinner, this recipe is worth trying.
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Chicken breasts: The recipe uses 2 chicken breasts and cuts them into cutlets. This helps them cook quickly and stay juicy. You can buy fillets at the grocery store and skip the cutting stage.
Brown sugar: This adds a caramel sweetness to the sauce that deepens the flavor of the honey and helps to balance the tang of the vinegar. I like to add it when serving this to the kids, as they prefer the sweeter sauce. Feel free to add more or less to taste or leave it out altogether.
Chicken broth: The recipe uses a small amount of chicken broth; if you don't have any on hand or don't want to open a carton, you can replace it with water.
Mustard: This helps to balance the sweetness of the honey and the tang of the vinegar. You can use any mustard. I like Dijon.
Fresh rosemary: This is added at the end of cooking, but it is more than just a garnish; it imparts a delightful flavor to the chicken that dried rosemary can't match. If you find yourself without fresh rosemary, no worries - skip it. Or replace it with some chopped parsley or oregano.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- Pat each breast dry on both sides with kitchen paper. This helps to prevent it from sliding about the chopping board, making it easier to cut.
- When you cut the chicken, use a sharp knife and hold it parallel to the chopping board. Then, cut through the chicken like you were opening up a book. (See pictures below.)
- Lightly coat the quarter cup with oil before measuring the honey; it will slide out easily.
- As the chicken breasts are cut into cutlets, they will cook quickly. They only need 6-8 minutes in total. (Depending on the size of your chicken breasts)
- When cooking the chicken in the sauce, it can be tempting to turn up the heat, but this can cause the honey to burn, so use a steady medium heat, which will reduce the sauce and finish cooking the chicken.
Why You'll Love These Balsamic Chicken Breasts
- This dish is a hit with everyone because the sauce perfectly balances sweet and tangy flavors.
- It is ready in under 30 minutes.
- It pairs wonderfully with a wide range of side dishes.
- It is economical as you can feed a family of four with just two chicken breasts, keeping dinner budget-friendly.
- It's so easy to make, and you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry.
Recipe Adaptions
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- You can swap the chicken breasts for chicken thighs. They will need 20-25 minutes to cook at medium heat.
- You can also substitute some pork chops for the chicken breasts. They should cook in the same time as the chicken breasts.
- Instead of honey, you can use maple syrup or your favorite sweetener.
- Fry some red onion with the chicken and add to the sauce.
- Add some sliced cherry tomatoes to the pan for the last minute of cooking.
- Once cooked, add some cheese to the top of the chicken and broil for 2-3 minutes until melted.
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Serving Suggestions for Balsamic Chicken Breasts
Sides: The sweet and tang sauce is excellent for serving with some crispy potatoes and veg. Try something simple like buttered carrots and corn, or go for a classic corn on the cob for a straightforward dinner.
Or add a Greek salad and some crusty bread.
Wine: A dry Reisling or an unoaked Chardonnay would be perfect if you pair a white wine. But this works so well with red, too! Go for a fuller-bodied red wine with a touch of sweetness to balance the tang and sweetness of the chicken, like a Shiraz or Grenache.
Enjoy x
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Get the Recipe
Balsamic Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon mustard (see note 2)
- 2 tablespoon chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
Instructions
To prepare the chicken
- Place each chicken breast on a cutting board and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, slice them horizontally into cutlets, keeping the knife parallel to the board and cutting through the breast from the side (refer to the pictures in the post for guidance).2 chicken breasts
- Repeat this process with the second chicken breast.
- Cover the cutlets with parchment paper or plastic wrap, and gently flatten the thicker end using a meat mallet or the base of a heavy skillet.
To prepare the sauce
- Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and chicken broth to a jug.¼ cup balsamic vinegar2 tablespoon brown sugar1 tablespoon mustard2 tablespoon chicken broth
- Pour a small amount of olive oil into your quarter cup measure; swirl the oil around the cup, and then pour any excess oil into the jug.¼ teaspoon olive oil¼ cup honey
- Without wiping it out, measure your honey using the same quarter cup measure and pour it into the jug. (see note 3)
- Stir to combine.
To cook the dish
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet.½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper
- Cook for 2 minutes on each side.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook the chicken for a further 2-3 minutes, spooning over the sauce.
- Serve sprinkled with fresh rosemary.1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Notes
- I like to add sugar when serving this to the kids, as they prefer the sweeter sauce. Feel free to add more or less to taste or leave it out altogether.
- The mustard helps to balance the sweetness of the honey and round out the tang of the vinegar. You can use any mustard. I like Dijon.
- The oil coating on the quarter cup measure will make pouring out all of the honey much easier.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Joa says
Oh, how delightful! I must say, I recently tried your recipe for Balsamic Chicken Breasts, and it was so delicious! The combination of tender chicken breasts and the rich, tangy flavor of balsamic vinegar was simply exquisite.
Sage says
Due to a red meat allergy, we eat a LOT of chicken at my house. I'm always looking for new ways to make it, and because I like balsamic vinegar, this recipe caught my eye. It's easy to make on a busy week night, and soooooo delish!
Steve says
I had some chicken breasts and made this with just pantry ingredients and some fresh rosemary from the garden. It was such a quick and tasty meal!
Calli says
The balsamic mixture helped make the chicken breast super tender and very flavorful. I made your balsamic chicken breasts for my family and they loved it. Thank you for a great easy dinner recipe!
Ellen says
These balsamic dinner breasts are on my menu for dinner tonight. I love easy chicken recipes.