Braised Balsamic Chicken

Chicken thighs are a staple in our house because they're so affordable (especially because we buy them in bulk at Costco) but I tend to struggle to think of creative ways to make them.

I meal plan, but I've started to leave my "plan" a little more open-ended. You know, trying to get ready for the chaos of having an infant and preventing my world from being turned upside down as much as possible (is that possible?!). 

This week I wrote "Marinated Chicken Thighs" as a meal, so it was up to my own creativity to take over that day. I created the marinade as I went, so I have no idea what the actual measurements are....sorry. I love to just create and eyeball and hope things turn out well.

These thighs definitely turned out well. As in, some of the tastiest chicken I've eaten in a while...possibly the tastiest chicken thighs I've ever made. One self-high-five for me!

YUM! I know, I know there's nothing green on my plate, but that night I was just cooking for one and ran out of asparagus, so I opted to enjoy myself a little corn on the cob. It's almost that season and I couldn't resist it in the produce section at Costco.

The marinade I used (with appropriately random measurements) was for 4 chicken thighs.

I started by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag.

• Drizzle with olive oil to coat
• Generously drizzle with balsamic reduction to coat
• Sprinkle with salt
• Add 4 cloves minced garlic
• Sprinkle with Italian Herb Seasoning

Massage all that gooey, messy goodness into the thighs and just let them hang out for at least 8 hours. Braise them in an enamel-coated cast iron pan (with a dash of olive oil) skin-side down until caramelized, then flip and completely cook through. 

The balsamic really caramelizes, so keep an eye (and nose) out to be sure you don't cross the line from "Nicely caramelized" to "blackened and burning". 

As you can see, I enjoyed my thigh with bow-tie pasta (my favorite shape) and corn on the cob. Nothing fancy but WOW was that chicken delicious. Super easy, super tasty and totally a recipe I will make again and again. 

Enjoy!!