Easy Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

Easy Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes is a new favorite recipe in our house. An easy recipe that cooks all in one skillet and is loaded with fresh ingredients to maximize flavor.

I paired these balsamic chicken thighs with a cauliflower puree which is another easy recipe to make while the chicken thighs are cooking. It tastes great with the Balsamic Chicken Thighs and makes a delicious low carb meal.

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Balsamic Chicken Thighs

This recipe for Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes was inspired by the Paleo Tomato Balsamic Chicken I found on Jay's Baking Me Crazy. I think I originally saw the gorgeous photo of Jay's recipe on Instagram and had to investigate because her photo made my mouth water!

Jay's recipe is amazing and so easy to do in a casserole dish, but I did change it up a bit. Because I love to sear my chicken thighs for a crispier skin, I decided to cook this Balsamic Chicken Thighs recipe all in one skillet starting on the stove-top and finishing in the oven.

I also added garlic and used olive oil instead of avocado oil because it is what I had on hand. Whether you opt to make it all in a casserole dish or use the cast iron skillet, these Balsamic Chicken Thighs are destined to become a family favorite.

Low Carb Meal

I love this Balsamic Chicken Thigh recipe paired with cauliflower puree because it is so easy to make, full of flavor, and makes a relatively low carb meal too. I try to limit my carb intake whenever possible, so making cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes for this recipe really helps with that.

Although, I love to cook all types of recipes & can't live without my pasta recipes, I do feel much better when I limit my carb intake. I have more energy and my mind doesn't get all foggy. This recipe with the balsamic chicken thighs and cauliflower puree ends up being approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving. I consider a serving one chicken thigh with 2 tablespoons of sauce and 1/2 cup cauliflower puree.

Balsamic Chicken Thigh Recipe Prep Tips

• Use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. When cooking with something acidic like tomatoes, your cast iron skillet should be well-seasoned.
• Heat the skillet to screaming hot before adding the chicken to get nice crispy skin.
• When searing the chicken in the hot skillet, don't move it around. Just set it in the skillet and let it sear for about 5 minutes then carefully turn over the chicken pieces using tongs. This will allow for a nice crust to form on the skin of the chicken. If your heat is up too high, the sear might start to burn, so be careful to keep an eye on it. If you smell something starting to burn, then turn the chicken pieces over.
• Be careful when cooking with a cast iron skillet. The entire skillet gets very hot, even the handle! You want to make sure you use an oven mitt when handling any part of the skillet. After removing from the oven, I lay the oven mitt on top of the handle just in case I grab it. I learned that trick the hard way!
• For a visual recipe tutorial refer to my how-to photo tutorial below the recipe.

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Easy Balsamic Chicken

By Life Tastes Good
Published 04/02/2017

An easy chicken recipe that cooks all in one skillet and is loaded with fresh ingredients to maximize flavor.

Ingredients

Easy Balsamic Chicken with Tomatoes

• 4 chicken thighs
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 4-5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• Fresh basil for garnish

Cauliflower Puree

• 20 ounces fresh cauliflower (about one head of cauliflower), stalks removed and cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Heat cast iron skillet over mid-high heat on stove-top.
2. Combine 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Lift the skin and season the meat of the chicken thighs liberally with the salt mixture. Season each thigh evenly. Be sure to season under the skin. Not on the skin.
3. When skillet is good and hot, place the chicken thighs skin side down into the hot skillet in a single layer. I always do this in a dry pan. No need to oil the pan. Allow the chicken to sear, untouched, for 5-6 minutes until the chicken releases without sticking to the pan. Use tongs to gently lift the chicken thighs and flip over each piece. If the skin sticks allow them to sear another minute or so until they release.
4. After turning the thighs over add sliced tomatoes, 4-5 whole garlic cloves, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cup olive oil to the skillet. Gently stir everything around a little to combine.
5. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until thighs reach 160° F. Check the temp using an instant read thermometer. You can either remove the garlic cloves at this point or do what I do and smush them with the back of a spoon into the sauce and mix well. Serve with the sauce and garnish with freshly chopped basil leaves. Enjoy!
6. Prepare the cauliflower puree while the chicken is cooking. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup water to a skillet with the cauliflower florets. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to mid-low and simmer until cauliflower is softened, about 5-6 minutes. This time will vary depending on the size of your florets. Transfer cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor, blender, or use a SmartStick and puree until smooth. If needed, add a little of the cream mixture from the pan to reach desired consistency. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. NOTE: Typically I would make this with garlic and Parmesan, but the sauce from the Balsamic Chicken is so good with the cauliflower, I didn't feel I needed to add any additional flavors.

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 35 mins.
Total time: 45 mins.

How-To Recipe Photo Tutorial

Preheat oven to 450° F. Heat skillet over mid-high heat on stove-top.

Season chicken thighs. Sear, skin side down, for 5-6 minutes until the chicken releases without sticking to the pan. Use tongs to gently lift the chicken thighs and flip over each piece.

After turning the thighs over add sliced tomatoes and 4-5 whole garlic cloves...

Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup olive oil to the skillet. Gently stir everything around a little to combine

Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until thighs reach 160° F. Check the temp using an instant read thermometer. Serve with the sauce and garnish with freshly chopped basil leaves. Enjoy!

Prepare the cauliflower puree while the chicken is cooking. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup water to a skillet with the cauliflower florets. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to mid-low and simmer until cauliflower is softened, about 5-6 minutes. This time will vary depending on the size of your florets.

Transfer cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor, blender, or use a SmartStick and puree until smooth. If using a SmartStick all of the cauliflower will not fit at first, so what I do is fill up the bowl with cauliflower and puree until smooth then add more cauliflower and puree until all is silky smooth. If needed, add a little of the cream mixture from the pan to reach desired consistency.

Give it a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. NOTE: Typically I would make this with garlic and Parmesan, but the sauce from the Balsamic Chicken is so good with the cauliflower, I didn't feel I needed to add any additional flavors.