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Balsamic baked chicken – Balsamic vinegar marinated chicken, oven baked to perfection. Delicious garlic, dijon mustard, and spices to go with this delicious dish!

This one was stepping out on a limb for me, just a little. I had heard of using balsamic vinegar with meat in so many different applications before, but it always sounded kind of gross to me… wouldn’t putting vinegar on meat just ruin the flavor of the meat? I mean, I like vinegar, but I don’t want everything to taste that way… but boy, was I wrong.

The vinegar flavor bakes right out, leaving you with the rich, delicious flavor of the balsamic and an incredibly juicy cut of meat. And this makes an quick, easy and absolutely decadent meal prep, as well!

How to make Balsamic Baked Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Your favorite salad base (and toppings, if you like)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix garlic, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, thyme and salt and pepper. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Pat chicken breasts dry. If they are too large, you can choose to either pound them thinner or cut them in half like I did so that they are in better portion sizes for you. Place them in a baking dish with sides.

3. Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts and allow to sit for 10 minutes so that the marinade can soak in.

4. Put the dish into the oven for about 25 minutes, basting at least once or twice during the cooking process.

5. Serve with your salad fixings! The first time I made this I served it whole over a bed of mixed greens, as you see here. However, I found the marinade made such an incredibly tasty salad dressing (and don’t worry, it’s safe to use — it will have boiled during cooking, removing any harmful bacteria) that the second time I made it I sliced it and put it on top of a big salad. Both ways tasted amazing! Just remember — if you’re going to slice it, make sure that you allow it at least 10 minutes of time to rest out of the pan so that you don’t lose all of those yummy juices.

By the way, here’s a stove top version of Easy Honey Balsamic chicken, if you want to try cooking it on stove top instead!

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