Honey Balsamic Chicken

As much as I enjoy cooking, sometimes it’s nice to have a quick recipe filed away in my back pocket for days I’m feeling lazy.  Not only is this one of those quick and easy recipes, but we usually have all of the ingredients in our pantry, making it a go-to dinner for nights when we haven’t been to the grocery store in awhile.  Tortilla Egg Scramble (http://3ddinners.blogspot.com/2013/05/tortilla-egg-scramble.html) and Tofu Pad Thai (http://3ddinners.blogspot.com/2013/01/tofu-pad-thai_23.html) also fall into both categories.  I should really add those as categories on the blog’s sidebar (adding that to my To Do list right now!).  So… back to dinner! The savory-sweet juxtaposition between the garlic and honey was especially nice.  Overall, it was very similar to the Honey Garlic Chicken (http://3ddinners.blogspot.com/2013/07/honey-garlic-chicken.html) dish I made over the summer, but this meal was more sweet and less spicy.  If you’re going to serve this meal with rice or another starch, I recommend starting with that first.  I started my Chicken Rice-A-Roni (http://www.ricearoni.com/Products/rice-a-roni/classic_favorites/Chicken) just before cooking the chicken, but the chicken cooked and sauce thickened well before the rice was finished cooking – that’s just how fast this one really is! Since the chicken and sauce are cooked in the same skillet, even cleanup is a cinch!

Honey Balsamic Chicken

Adapted from Baked Bree

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-in pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup chicken broth

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp honey

Rice, optional for serving

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then add olive oil.  Season chicken with salt and pepper, then cook in prepared skillet until no longer pink inside, 5-10 minutes.  Remove cooked chicken from heat, plate, and cover with tin foil.

2. Add chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and honey to the same skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat; sauce will begin to thicken.

3. Return chicken to pan, coating evenly with sauce.  If desired, serve with rice or orzo.