Chicken is a go-to weeknight dish for many busy moms, and keeping it from becoming boring can be something of a challenge. This recipe is easy to prepare but the complexity of flavors will delight your family and even make for great leftovers.
I like to use a whole cut-up chicken, but have also used just bone-in breasts. I’m not a fan of boneless, skinless breasts in most recipes because they dry out so easily. If using a whole cut-up chicken, try to start with a young, small chicken so the breasts are not hugely out of proportion to the rest of the chicken.
Here’s what I like best about making this chicken—everything is prepared in one dish so cleanup is a snap! Just mix balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary and a little salt and pepper in a shallow 13 x 9 inch baking dish or pan.
Place the chicken in the dish and turn to coat with the sauce. Then turn the chicken skin side down. I like to wait until this point to pre-heat the oven so the chicken has about 15 minutes to marinate. Roast the chicken skin side down for about thirty minutes, then flip over and roast for another 10-15 minutes, until done and nicely browned.
See how easy that is? We eat this with anything from just a salad to green beans or butterbeans or rice or weeknight mashed potatoes…anything goes!
Enjoy!
Balsamic Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 small whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients except chicken in a shallow 9×13 inch baking dish. Mix well with fork or flat whisk.
- Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides then place chicken in dish and turn to coat with sauce. Turn chicken skin side down.
- Turn oven to 425. (I don’t preheat the oven because I like the chicken to marinate for the few minutes it takes the oven to heat.)
- When oven is ready, roast chicken skin side down for 30 minutes. Remove dish from oven and turn chicken over.
- Roast chicken skin side up for another 10-15 minutes, until chicken is done and skin is well-browned.
