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: about 6 oz. chicken with sauce
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 9.4 g
- Sodium: 530.2 mg
- Fat: 17.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.6 g
- Protein: 40.3 g
- Cholesterol: 93.5 mg
This was excellent! I used drumsticks. Next time I’ll try chicken tenders.
I added mushrooms as well and put the cheese on when the meat came out of the oven.
My family ate this up like it was the best meal on earth. And that’s saying a lot with three kids under 16. It’s yummy! Thank you!
Excellent go to dinner for my husband who works late. When I need a quick dinner that delivers on big flavor and satiety, I make this for him with rice.
This dish has become my go to dish at least once a week, it is that delicious. I have found I can substitute the mozzarella with just about any other white cheese and it’s just as delicious. I cannot thank you enough for bringing this recipe into my life. I’ve shared it with my adult children And many of my friends. Thank you again.
Do u think this would work with boneless skinless thighs?
You can use chicken thighs. I would just adjust the bake time accordingly. They will bake much faster than the breast.
So easy! So fast! So very delicious! I forgot to add the garlic and it still turned out fantastic. I doubled the sauce and used it over orzo. Definitely a keeper! Try this, you won’t be disappointed.
Have you ever thickened the sauce after baking?
I have not but to thicken the sauce you may need a little more liquid.
How would you recommend freezing this and then reheating when the time comes?
You can freeze in individual portions or all together in a freezer safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat over medium/low heat with a little liquid in the pan.
This recipe is delicious! I’ve been using this McCormick Greek seasoning instead of Italian (it’s f’n awesome) & I’ve used basil paste in place of fresh basil when I don’t have time to hit the store or it’s past summer & I don’t have any to pick from my garden and it turns out just as lovely.
This is easy and absolutely delicious. i made full sauce when i should have cut in 1/2 but will do that again great sauce. Thank you so much
Can a make a large portion and then freeze some?
You can definitely double the recipe and it should freeze okay.
Love this – every single time I make it!!
One of my husband’s favorites
BIG hit with the family!!! EASY to prepare and very YUMMY. Served with spaghetti squash!! It is now in the dinner rotation
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. It was so easy to prepare, chicken was tender and had a lot of flavor.
850ml sodium per serving? You noted the sodium had been updated. Is this the correct amount?
Thanks for noting that. I just refreshed the recipe and it looks like it’s been updated. If you’re concerned with sodium, you can substitute with reduced sodium shredded mozzarella cheese in place of the balls.
I’m using thin chicken breasts what’s best way to cook to make sure sauce gets thick still too .. just cast iron or bake still as well?
I would still bake but just not as long. Without knowing how thin your chicken breasts are, I would say start at 10-12 minutes and add on time as needed.
So good! My husband loved it
Can anyone tell me if this is gluten free?
Hi! This recipe is gluten-free.
how can you cut the sodium content?
Thanks for catching that! There was a glitch in the sodium calculation but since been updated.
My husband and I love this recipe! I have made it several times e cause we had so many cherry tomatoes this year. We can’t get enough of this dish. It has such a great flavor. I even made for our toddler granddaughters and they ate it all up. Thanks for posting. This is a real winner!