Funny story – I was going to make this honey balsamic chicken with chicken thighs, but they were $3.49/lb. and the boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale (again) for $1.99/lb… so… yeah. Chicken tenders it was!
Obviously not everyone will catch this $1.99/lb. chicken sale as often as I do, so go with whatever cut is the best deal. To make this recipe with something like chicken thighs, just brown the thighs in the skillet (just like I did with the breasts) and finish cooking them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Prepare the sauce in the skillet in the same manner as listed below. The sauce should be enough for four medium sized chicken thighs.
This chicken is bursting with flavor from the tangy balsamic vinegar, sweet honey, and rich butter. I seasoned mine simply with salt and pepper, but if you want a more herbal flavor you could always add a pinch of dried basil or thyme.
Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders
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Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 medium 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts ($2.99)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ($0.80)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.24)
- to taste salt & pepper ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.40)
- 3 Tbsp honey ($0.33)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal into six strips each. Place the strips in a quart sized zip top bag along with 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the strips until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). You may have to do two batches. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.
- Turn the heat down on the skillet to medium-low and add the butter and last 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the skillet. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and dissolve the sticky bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Once the mixture has dissolved together, add the honey, increase the heat, and allow the sauce to simmer until thickened (about five minutes).
- Once the sauce has thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper (I just used a pinch of each). Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss to coat in the warm balsamic sauce. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition
Step By Step Photos
First slice the chicken into strips approximately 1 inch wide. Cut the strips on a diagonal across the chicken breast so they are a fairly uniform length and width.
Place the sliced chicken in a zip top bag along with 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, a clove of minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at elast 30 minutes.
When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken strips. Cook until golden brown on both sides. You may have to cook in two or three batches.
The more browned your chicken is at this step, the better the color will be at the end. This first batch of strips was kind of blond…
But the next batch got nice and brown. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.
Your skillet will likely have a coating of sticky residue in it, which is a good thing. This is flavory goodness and will dissolve into the sauce.
After removing the cooked chicken, reduce the heat to medium-low so that the butter will not burn. Add the butter and balsamic vinegar. Stir the mixture together, allowing the butter to melt and the residue on the bottom of the skillet to dissolve into the liquid.
Once everything has dissolved off of the bottom of the skillet, stir in the honey. Increase the heat (if needed) and allow the mixture to bubble and simmer until thickened. This should happen fairly quickly – about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and coat it in the honey balsamic sauce.
Serve warm and ENJOY!
I caught that sale too! I was so excited to stock up on chicken breasts, now I just need to find non-boring ways to cook them – this is perfect.
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This looks so good! A must try!
This was so tasty! I’ve never thought to combine honey & balsamic vinger, but it’s a great partnership. I made extra sauce and tossed it with fettuccine pasta. Very filling for the next few days – thanks for making cooking less stressful for a busy grad student, Beth!
Just made this tonight at my house!!! I made it with chicken breasts and tossed the sauce and chicken with angel hair pasta – YUM and a big hit!!!!
I had the chicken marinating since last Thursday in the fridge – not my intention but that’s how life goes. The chicken was so tasty and I’m not sure if it’s because it marinated so long – from Thursday to Saturday? Either way, it was so good. Thank you for the recipe!
I was wondering how long would be too long to marinade without turning the chicken into mush. Since I work full-time and hubby wants dinner ASAP after I get home, marinating 9-10 hours would work great for me, and it sounds like it worked out for you to marinate even longer.
Tried this tonight and it was a huge hit in my house! I added extra honey :-)
Um, this looks amazing. Balsamic and I have a very good relationship. Thanks for the recipe!
i’ve just discovered your blog. i think you are amazing! love what you do.
Amanda – I haven’t tried freezing it in the marinade, but I think that would work! If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
This looks so good! I am thinking of putting the chicken in the marinade and freezing it, thawing it during the day when I want to have it for dinner and cook it like you did. Have you ever frozen this and/or do you think it would work?
kcli – Hahah, WOW, yes, my math was wrong in a couple of places on that one! Thanks for the heads up! :D
Yum-yum…I just discovered basaltic vinegar and will try this tonite! I’m salivating as I type.
(btw…might want to review your chicken math…it should be closer to $3.00 plus a few pennies elsewhere to equal the final tally. it’s OK to delete this comment)
Well, I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!
Yum! I’m going to HAVE to try these. Delicious. By the way, love your site, your mission, and recipes. Thank you thank you! Also thinking of featuring you in a little blog post of mine sometime. I’ll send ya a link to it when I do!
~Angie
I am thinking, just roast some carrots and toss them in…hey, wait that is another of your fab recipes. I see blsl chic breast for 1.99 or less all the time in DFW. With a family of 5 adults, I am very thankful!my girls are gonna love this.
Looks good, I love balsamic chicken!