Balsamic Skillet Chicken Breasts
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Challenge me to produce dinner with just chicken breasts and pantry staples in 20 minutes, and you can bet I’ll be whipping up this balsamic skillet chicken. It’s a staple recipe to elevate the everyday, with a method that keeps every bite tender plus a thoughtful pan sauce that incorporates layers of flavor without any fuss.
Chicken breasts can be basic, sure, but they deserve to be more than boring. This balsamic chicken skillet levels up your average weeknight by delivering tender chicken, a simultaneously sweet and tangy pan sauce, and just one skillet to wash afterwards.
Why You’ll Love This Balsamic Chicken Skillet
- Quick and easy to make in about 20 minutes
- Step-by-step instructions to help you get the most tender chicken every time
- Pantry spices assemble to give the chicken an irresistible and flavorful crust
- Butter + balsamic = the perfect light pan sauce for drizzling
- Leftovers are delicious in salads, wraps, bowls, and more
It adds up to a excitement-worthy main course that is perfect to pair with a wide range of side dishes. I especially love baby potatoes, orzo, or garlic knots plus a huge green salad or roasted carrots!
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient Spotlight: Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic is a dark, intensely flavorful Italian vinegar. The taste is complex and enticing—sweet, tart, and rich—which makes it versatile and powerful in even everyday home cooking. Many vinegars are derived from fermented alcohol, but balsamic is made by reducing whole crushed grapes—skins, seeds, and all—into a thick syrup called must, which is then aged in wooden barrels.
Balsamic vinegar of Modena is a reliable choice for this recipe and similar pan sauces, marinades, and vinaigrettes. It incorporates some wine vinegar to make a thinner, more acidic, and more affordable product than top-tier “DOP” balsamic vinegar, which should contain only cooked grape must. Save DOP for drizzling onto steaks, Caprese, fruit, and the like.
Glance at the ingredient list of your balsamic; avoid any that contain added sugars, coloring, or thickeners. These additives are just mimicking the flavor and texture of the real thing, and you don’t need that in your life!
Season, Sear, Sauce
A few simple steps go a long way to help you get reliably tender chicken breasts. The first is to take chicken out of the fridge and let it rest for 10-15 minutes at room temperature before cooking, if possible. This helps each piece cook more evenly. It’s especially important for “regular” chicken breasts but also helpful for the thin-sliced variety shown here.
Season both sides of each piece generously with a blend of dry herbs and spices, then sear it in a hot skillet slicked with a drizzle of olive oil and pat of butter.
The next and most important thing to keep chicken tender is to avoid overcooking! I always recommend an instant-read thermometer to eliminate guesswork.
As soon as it hits 165°F inside, remove to a clean plate and set aside.
Now it’s time to make the quick and easy pan sauce.
Add broth, simmer gently, then add balsamic and another dot of butter. That’s it!
Pro Tip
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well after bringing the sauce to a simmer. This will loosen any browned bits left over from browning the chicken, enriching the flavor of your sauce, and also make your pan significantly easier to clean!
Return chicken to the skillet, along with juices from the plate. Use a spoon to generously coat each piece of chicken with sauce. This helps it stay warm, flavorful, and moist.
Balsamic Chicken Serving Ideas
- With pasta or rice. My kids love this with egg noodles; we also enjoy it alongside orzo, rotini, or penne. See instructions in the recipe card if you want to make a little extra sauce for drizzling!
- With roasted veggies. Broccolini, carrots, asparagus, and more all pair beautifully with a balsamic finishing sauce.
- In salad. Extra chicken is delicious sliced or diced and mixed into a classic Cobb or simple garden salad to boost the protein.
More Easy Chicken Skillets
- Quick Lemon Thyme Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Balsamic Cranberry Chicken Skillet
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
Balsamic Skillet Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced or pounded thin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter divided
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- fresh thyme or parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Set the chicken out at room temperature. If it’s not already in thin slices, cut the breasts lengthwise through the middle to make them fairly thin. If any pieces are really uneven (thicker in one part, thinner in another), use a meat mallet or just a heavy pan to smash down the thick parts and even them out.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and black pepper. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on both sides of the chicken cutlets.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Warm olive oil and melt 1/2 Tablespoon of the butter together in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the chicken and saute for 2-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove the chicken to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 Tablespoon butter
- Reduce the heat to medium and slowly pour the broth into the skillet. Scrape to release browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring the sauce to a simmer.1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- While the sauce bubbles, stir in the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon butter plus the balsamic vinegar. Let the butter melt, then stir well and keep simmering the sauce until it is as thick as you like.1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Return chicken to the pan along with any juices from the plate. Spoon sauce on top to warm, garnish with fresh herbs if you like, and serve right away. Enjoy!fresh thyme or parsley
Notes
- Don’t Overcook: An instant-read thermometer is one of my most reached for kitchen tools; it completely eliminates guesswork. Remove chicken as soon as it hits 165°F inside and it will stay tender and juicy.
- Extra Sauce: If you want extra sauce for drizzling over sides or just because you love sauce, use ¾ cup of broth, 1 and ½ Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and melt an extra half Tablespoon of butter in the sauce. Everything else stays the same.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Balsamic vinegar of Modena is a reliable choice for this recipe and similar pan sauces, marinades, and vinaigrettes. It incorporates some wine vinegar to make a thinner, more more acidic, and more affordable product than top-tier “DOP” balsamic vinegar, which should contain only cooked grape must. Save the DOP for drizzling onto steaks, Caprese, fruit, and the like.
- Storage: Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. When warming it back up, I always recommend microwaving chicken at 50% power to avoid drying out.
