Lemon Balsamic Chicken
By Audrey Plant
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
2 fresh lemons, sliced into 1/4 inch discs
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and drained
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Remove chicken from packaging, pat dry with a clean paper towel. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes.
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat, add olive oil and onions. Sautee onions for 3-4 minutes until translucent and lightly browned. Add chicken thighs, skin side down. Sear for 3 minutes on each side.
Turn heat down to medium heat. Once both sides are seared, place chicken skin side up. Pour white wine into the skillet to deglaze the pan. Scrape brown bits using a spatula. Add balsamic vinegar. Nestle lemon between thighs and sprinkle olives over top. Add thyme sprigs in a bundle into the skillet. Turn heat down to low, cook for an additional 2 minutes on the stovetop.
Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
Chicken will be browned in color and lemons will have broken down a bit.
Remove, plate and, using a large spoon, scrape the brown bits and drizzle sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.
Notes:
The pan will brown and look burnt, it’s the caramelization of the onions and balsamic. Be sure when you deglaze the pan with the white wine to scrape the brown bites well.
Lemons will break down during the cooking process and have a more intensified lemon-flavor. Squeeze over cooked chicken right before serving.
Feel free to swap chicken thighs out for chicken breast. If you use thick chicken breast, cooking time remains the same. If you use thinner breast, sear for the same amount of time and adjust baking time to 10 minutes.
