One Pan Balsamic Chicken
Juicy one-pan balsamic chicken topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. This easy dinner comes together so easily and will surely become a family favorite!
Balsamic Basil Chicken
This one-pan balsamic chicken is one of our favorite dinner meals. It’s flavorful, delicious, and can be made year-round!
The chicken breast is quickly seared on the stovetop with delicious homemade balsamic sauce. Then topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, to finish baking in the oven.
It’s a meal that can easily be prepared on a weeknight. It serves well over anything that can soak up the sauce, such as rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.
Ingredients
- balsamic vinegar
- honey
- avocado oil
- garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Dijon mustard
- grape tomatoes
- mozzarella balls
- fresh basil
- chicken breast
- salt and pepper
Can I Use Boneless Chicken Thighs?
Yes, you just have to adjust the cooking time. Thighs cook really fast so I recommend checking for doneness after 7-10 minutes. Also, since thighs are more tender and juicy than chicken breast, there’s no need to pound them.
How to Make Basil Balsamic Chicken
- Whisk together the ingredients for the balsamic sauce.
- In a separate bowl, toss together the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
- Over high heat, cook the chicken breast until lightly golden brown. Add balsamic sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Top with tomato mozzarella. Bake at 400F until chicken is cooked through.
Serving Suggestions
This one pan balsamic chicken is a great dish to pair with something to soak up the delicious pan juices and sauce. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
- Pineapple Rice
- Cauliflower and Ricotta Mash
- Egg noodles
- Roasted vegetables
- Quinoa
Video: How to Make One Pan Balsamic Chicken
More One-Pan Meals
- Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken
- Thai Chicken and Cabbage Skillet
- Orecchiette with Baked Mini Meatballs
- Chicken and Quinoa in Mustard Sauce
- Chicken with Zucchini and Corn
One Pan Balsamic Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
One-pan balsamic chicken is such a flavorful weeknight dinner. Made with simple ingredients and easy steps!
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 Tbsp. oil, such as avocado or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Tomato Mozzarella
- 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine or pearls)
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Chicken
- 2 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil or other high-heat oil
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, toss together the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-safe skillet. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, to taste. When the pan is hot and oil is shimmering, add the chicken to the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown. Add the balsamic sauce mixture. It should quickly come to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the tomato mozzarella mixture over the chicken.
- Bake uncovered for 18-23 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. Internal temperature should register at 165F. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Mozzarella: If using ciliegine mozzarella, also known as “cherry size” fresh mozzarella then cut it in half. If using “pearls” which are smaller size mozzarella balls, then no need to cut in half.
- Chicken: To pound the chicken, place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or into a gallon size Ziploc bag, and using a mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken to even thickness. Make sure not to skip this step. It helps the chicken cook evenly, tenderizes the meat, and results in moist meat.
- Original Recipe: This recipe was originally published on 9/28/17 and did not include balsamic vinegar. Instead, the recipe relied on a combination of ingredients that resembled the taste of balsamic vinegar. However, it ended up being too confusing to so many readers so we decided to rewrite the recipe to include balsamic vinegar. Here is the old version of the recipe: ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 1/2 Tbsp.), 2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (pounded to even thickness), 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved, 8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine), 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil, Kosher salt and fresh black pepper . In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, tomato sauce, and lemon juice. Add chicken tossing to coat in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, toss together the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Melt butter over high heat in a large oven-safe skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until lightly golden brown, seasoning both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Immediately, off heat, top the chicken with tomato mozzarella mixture and bake uncovered for 18-23 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 349
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 1016.7 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
- Protein: 44.2 g
- Cholesterol: 150.4 mg
Keywords: one pan, easy, quick,
Turned out wonderfully!! Only thing I changed is 1 tbsp of honey rather than two. Baked it for 20 min. Will definitely do this one again.
Delicious low carb dish. Made with a side of green beans. Will def make again and will add some hot pepper flakes to add a little heat.
Delicious!! My husband and I were so happy I made this dish!
I followed the directions exactly. Smelled delicious cooking! Though it tasted good at first, the flavor became overbearing half way through the meal. It was too sweet for our taste. Possibly backing off on the honey by one tablespoon might correct the problem, but I’d rather move on to another recipe instead of making it again.
★★
Delicious! Whole family loved it!
★★★★★
Exceptional!
★★★★★
this was amazing even my picky eater loved it. thank you
★★★★★
Made this tonight with spaghetti….EXCELLENT!
We loved this recipe. I cut the honey in half because my balsamic vinegar was on the sweeter side. Added extra tomatoe/basil and served over noodles.
My husband and I really enjoyed the taste. Would definitely make it again.
★★★★★
made this tonight and it was overwhelming popular with my family! positive comments from the very first bite. really easy to make, and we even made an eggplant version for the vegetarians. Sliced some eggplant, salted it and let it sit for 20 minutes to dry out, added to a baking pan with sauce and tomato mozzarella topping and cooked at 400 for about 35minutes.
★★★★★
I made this last night for a dinner party with friends. Everyone raved about how tender and juicy the chicken was. Image extra sauce and used over the chicken and the angel hair pasta I served it on. I served it with fresh green beans with garlic and grated Parmesan. Thanks for the recipe!!
I did not like this at all. It smelled wonderful cooking, but I did not like the flavor. If you are a person that puts pineapple on their ham or like sweet meat this is for you, but not my taste. I really hoped I would. Feel bad leaving this review when people apparently loved it.
★★
This was a great meal! Fairly easy and very yummy. I put it over spaghetti noodles but may try orzo next time. It looked absolutely beautiful coming out of the oven! My husband has said we should cook this one again, which is high praise for him. Biggest tip, don’t forget to put an oven mitt on the handle of your pan right away or you may be like me nursing burns from grabbing the handle by accident!!!
★★★★
Great chicken recipe! Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
I have used this recipe multiple times and it is in our meal rotation frequently! Thank you for a simple meal that is delicious! I usually serve with whatever noodle we have in the pantry, angel hair mostly.
★★★★★
Delicious and so easy to make. Had it with a green salad.
★★★★★
This is such a delicious recipe! I’m about to make it for a third time! Littlebroken’s recipes have restored my faith in cooking : )
★★★★★
Thank you Laura! I so appreciate that.
My family loved this recipe! We will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
My bf & I love making this, I’m the picky one in the relationship who usually eats like a toddler but I loved this! Big bonus, it’s easy to make, our new favorite meal to cook together now! Thank you <3
★★★★★