Thursday, July 15, 2010

John Paul's Balsamic Chicken

There are a lot of reasons for me to love John Paul, and near the top of the list is his deep love of food. The man loves all things culinary: tools, cooking food, the science behind food, and above all, eating great food. We can't afford to eat out a ton, but it doesn't even matter. We eat really well at home, and a lot of that has to do with my man's uncanny knack for putting different flavors together without a recipe. He has no fear in the kitchen, and somehow, things turn out miraculously well when he's there.
One of our go-to dishes is a balsamic marinated chicken that John Paul concocted one night, when our fridge was empty (the dreaded "day before grocery shopping" syndrome refrigerators are known to come down with) but for chicken. We generally have the other items in the recipe in the pantry, and it pairs really well with a salad or even just white or brown rice. The balsamic vinegar caramelizes a bit in the pan, leaving the chicken and onions with tangy sweetness that's incredibly delicious and refreshing. All in all, balsamic chicken is hard to go wrong with, and I think you'll be reaching for this recipe when you want to impress people with minimal effort.

John Paul's (Apparently Well Known) Balsamic Chicken
John Paul would like me to convey that he cooks by eyeballing, so these measurements are not exact. Use as much or as little onion or chicken as you'd like, or substitute tenders for thighs for a lighter version (as we did in these pictures).
2 shallots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken thighs, thawed and ready to cook

1. Combine ingredients in a medium bowl, and let marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat large saute pan on medium-high. Dump all ingredients from bowl into pan, and let cook, until chicken is opaque throughout, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from pan, but allow onions and shallots to continue cooking an additional 5 minutes. This will give them a great caramelized, sweet taste.
4. Remove onions and shallots from heat. Serve over salad or rice.

1 comment:

  1. it's VERY well-known!! because it's delicioso!! (love, haley)

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