Braised Balsamic Chicken

Let me start this post by saying: this recipe received a "5" on Brett's rating scale - for those of you who haven't read many of my posts, Brett rarely issues a "5"....!!! I whole-heartedly agree with him on this one. The chicken is so flavorful, so juicy, and I'm totally serious - it was less than half hour from start to finish! I already can't wait to make this one again.

I figured it might be worth a second to share more about my obsession with Allrecipes.com - after all, it has brought more delicious meals to my table than any cookbook, magazine or family recipe. What I love about Allrecipes is that its dynamic - always changing with the season or the latest trends. It's "live" - the reviews are updated every day, and questions are quickly answered ("what is the difference between rice wine and rice wine vinegar?") I actually even have one recipe that was published on Allrecipes - and 39 of my own reviews!!! I really need to catch up, seeing as my last review was in March 2009. If you promise not to make fun of my obsession, here is the link to my profile on Allrecipes. If you look through the photos and reviews, you're likely going to see quite a few familiar things!

Now back to this chicken - maybe you just need to make it, and taste it, to really understand how AWESOME it is. I was a bit worried about the balsamic vinegar - it calls for 1/3 C so I knew once I poured it in, there was no going back! As recommended in the original recipe, buy the best balsamic you can find for this recipe. As the name entails, its the star ingredient. The original recipe also calls for canned tomatoes - c'mon, in the middle of summer? No way baby! Use a couple fresh romas. Finally, I just HAD to use herbs from my brand-new herb garden. I just planted it last week and it's filled with oregano, rosemary, basil, sage and parsely. It was so fun taking off those crisp green leaves, chopping them up, throwing them in the pan and eating a few minutes later - the flavor just can't be replicated with dry herbs.




Enjoy!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced (try to leave a few rings, for a prettier display!)
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 TBS fresh herbs - I used sage, rosemary and basil

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add chicken, browning on both sides - don't move the chicken around or it won't get the nice brown look. Add the onions, and cook until tender. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute or so (never burn your garlic...the dish is ruined!)

2. Turn heat to low. Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook for 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add fresh herbs and more salt if desired.