This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
Bright and budget-friendly, Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes is one of the best weeknight dinner recipes. This easy chicken dinner is ready in 30 minutes and bakes for just enough time so you can warm up some crusty bread to sop up all the luscious pan juices.
Chicken breasts are an American weeknight dinner staple. I might be even more fond of surprisingly quick-cooking, even more flavorful bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Since thigh meat is slightly higher in fat, it’s moist and less likely to get dry when you cook it.
Speaking of moist, the pan sauce for this quick and easy chicken dinner ensures every ounce of meat is juicy, packed full of savory, umami flavor, and something you’ll crave week after week (if not more often).
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Balsamic vinegar: Aceto balsamico, or balsamic vinegar, is a versatile pantry staple. Although balsamic vinegar is made from Trebbiano grapes and grape must (that’s all boiled down into a dark syrup and aged in wooden barrels with the vinegar mother), it’s not technically a wine vinegar. This concentrated liquid is slightly sweet and dreamy in everything from homemade vinaigrettes and glazes to soups and marinades and pan sauces like this.
- Whole grain mustard: Grab a bottle at the supermarket or stir together a batch of homemade mustard (it’s easy!).
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: As I mentioned above, I love how succulent these bake up, but you could also use skin-on chicken breasts. The skin gets golden brown and crisps up beautifully.
- Grape tomatoes: Or cherry; either will do.
Step-by-step intstructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.
- Remove from marinade (reserve marinade) and pat chicken dry with paper towels. In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer, skin-side down. Cook until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip chicken and add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes have started to pop release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Add reserved marinade and rosemary sprigs. Bring to boil, then transfer uncovered to the oven.
- Bake until the chicken reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read digital thermometer, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rosemary stems.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes creates four dinner-sized servings that including 6 ounces of chicken each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Sides to try: I prefer to pair this 30-minute chicken dinner with my best, biggest leafy green salad and a loaf of crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the sauce. Alternatively, skip the bread and serve this Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes over a bed of buttery mashed potatoes, zucchini noodles, or grits.
Recipe FAQ
No rosemary handy? Try thyme instead. Or add fresh basil or chives as a garnish rather than cooking with the sauce.
Sure! Shrimp, steak, or pork would also taste incredible soaked in this marinade and cooked alongside the tomato-spiked sauce. Just adjust the cook time accordingly to cook your desired choice to the safe temperature. (Reference the USDA’s safe cooking temperature guide and use your digital thermometer.)
Mini Meatloaves with Balsamic Glaze
These pre-portioned Mini Meatloaves are juicy, delicious, and topped with a sticky balsamic glaze. The meatloaf mixture is simple to make from a few staple ingredients.
View Recipe
More weeknight dinner ideas
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Baked Cod
30 Minute Meals
The Best Turkey Tacos
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Caprese Chicken
30 Minute Meals
Grilled Pork Chops
Join Us
Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard (see note 2)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 ½ pounds, see note 3)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes (see note 4)
- 2 sprigs rosemary broken in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour. Remove from marinade (reserve marinade) and pat chicken dry with paper towels.
- In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer, skin-side down. Cook until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip chicken and add tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes have started to pop release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Add reserved marinade and rosemary sprigs. Bring to boil, then transfer uncovered to the oven.
- Bake until the chicken reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rosemary stems.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Balsamic vinegar: Aceto balsamico, or balsamic vinegar, is a versatile pantry staple. Although balsamic vinegar is made from Trebbiano grapes and grape must (that’s all boiled down into a dark syrup and aged in wooden barrels with the vinegar mother), it’s not technically a wine vinegar. This concentrated liquid is slightly sweet and dreamy in everything from homemade vinaigrettes and glazes to soups and marinades and pan sauces like this.
- Whole grain mustard: Grab a bottle at the supermarket or stir together a batch of homemade mustard (it’s easy!).
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: As I mentioned above, I love how succulent these bake up, but you could also use skin-on chicken breasts. The skin gets golden brown and crisps up beautifully.
- Grape tomatoes: Or cherry; either will do.
- Yield: This Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes creates four dinner-sized servings that including 6 ounces of chicken each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I’ve been making this recipe for my family for years. It is my husband’s favorite dinner. Super easy and the absolutely tastiest thing ever. It’s something he wishes I could make double of every time so we can have lunch leftovers (unfortunately our pan is too small lol). I cook it with basil (which is what an older version of this recipe used to use) as he doesn’t like rosemary. The honey makes the sauce so yummy. Definitely a 10/10 recipe!!!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Valerie! I appreciate you taking the time to write! Take care! – Meggan