Just so that you can be sure I don’t eat cinnamon rolls ALL the time, I thought I’d better share with you something you would be proud to eat for dinner. Not that I eat cinnamon rolls for dinner, just saying! Have you been properly introduced to my good friend, the boneless skinless chicken thigh? I’m pretty sure if you are a meat eater, you are probably well acquainted with her close cousin, the boneless skinless chicken breast. I myself have been ignoring this dark meat beauty for years. I’m not big on dark meat… I thought. Well, no more!
After hearing The Pioneer Woman sing it’s praise, I decided to be open minded and give them a try. Because if Ree says so, we listen. This rich, flavorful, never dry chicken thigh is the perfect base for my Creamy Balsamic Skillet Chicken. You can make it in about 30 minutes from start to finish and all on the stove top. The creamy balsamic sauce is made in the same pan, taking advantage of those golden bits left in the pan after the chicken is browned.
Serve it over your favorite rice medley, and then drizzle that creamy balsamic for all that is good and holy. You won’t be sorry. I’m know I’ll never go back!
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Creamy Balsamic Skillet Chicken
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: American
Description
Rich, flavorful, never dry boneless chicken thighs served over rice with a delicious creamy balsamic sauce you’ll totally love!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper
- 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press, or minced finely
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- fresh chopped parsley
- Serve over rice medley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet (I use my cast iron) on medium high to high heat.
- Season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper and then place them evenly around the hot pan. Turn heat down to medium high.
- Do not move the chicken around the pan, but let it cook for about 8-10 minutes. You will know when it is ready to turn when it has a nice golden brown color and doesn’t stick too much to the pan. Your chicken will be sizzling pretty good at this point!
- Turn the chicken over and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and place them on a plate while you make the creamy balsamic sauce.
- Use the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, and use a whisk or wooden spoon to scrape the golden bits off the bottom of the pan as you stir. This is where a lot of flavor comes from. Turn your heat down to medium so that you have a gentle simmer.
- Add your pressed garlic, balsamic vinegar, heavy cream and brown sugar and stir together. Add the chicken back into the pan, and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes per side. This gives your chicken a chance to cook through, and also allows the sauce to reduce and thicken up.
- Plate the chicken on top of your favorite rice medley and drizzle with the creamy balsamic.
- Garnish with fresh parsley for a pop of green and fresh flavor!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Chicken Thigh
- Calories: 293
- Sugar: 4.6g
- Sodium: 468mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 7.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 5.4g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 157mg
Susan says
I made this tonight. LOVED it! This will be a repeat. Thanks for sharing :0
Julie says
So glad to hear that Susan!
Lori says
we made this tonight. Super simple and really yummy! Thank you!!!!
Julie says
You are so welcome Lori. I need to make it again soon!
Lindsay says
Thought I’d give a little review of my dinner. Cooked it in my cast iron. Used chicken breasts which I would cut in half prior to cooking next time (or use tenders). Bought whipping cream instead of heavy whipping cream. Not a huge deal but might have been a tad creamier had I bought the heavy (just grabbed the wrong one). Flavor was fantastic! My 7 year old loved the sauce on the chicken but not on rice. Husband loved it all. I will definitely make this again. I definitely have already sent your recipe to some friends because it is SO good!!! Yay!!!! Thank you!
Julie says
So glad everyone enjoyed Lindsay!
Jasmine says
Is heavy cream the same as heavy whipping cream for this? Never used it before so just wondering.
Julie says
Yes, I’ve always thought they were the same.
Emily says
I made this tonight with thin chicken breast, while family loved it, next time I’ll try it with thighs!
Anna says
These were wonderful, thank you! =)
Julie says
A family favorite for us! I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
Leslie Ann says
Comment from my 9 year old daughter — “The food was soooo awesome! I loved it!”
Thank you for sharing this really easy but super delicious recipe! 🙂 I am hoping to use this recipe again tonight, this time using chicken breast. 🙂
Julie says
Oh that’s always so great when the kiddos approve! I’m glad it was a hit. My mom loves to use chicken breasts in this recipe too. Thanks for your comment!
Leslie Ann says
How much time do you think I need to brown the chicken breast on each side and then to let it simmer in the sauce?
Julie says
This reply may be too late, but I think you may need to reduce the cooking time a bit for chicken breasts, as it tends to dry out easier than chicken thighs. But this will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken. Sometimes I like to slice them horizontally to make them easier to cook with if they are very thick.
janet Bradley says
What is Rice Medley, is it a box rice mix? I’ve never heard of it.
Thanks, Janet
Julie says
Janet, I used Rice R Roni’s Long Grain and Wild Rice boxed mix. Hope you enjoy.
nichole says
we are dairy free-any idea what I could use in place of the heavy cream to give it the same texture? thanks!
Julie says
Yes, you could use coconut milk. Let me know how you like it if you try it!
Heather says
I’ve always enjoyed this recipie making it as writ. However I had light cream on hand one night and it curdled. Thoughts?
Julie says
Hi Heather, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Here is a little bit of information I found about why lower fat cream can curdle. Hope this is helpful for you.
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-questions-tips/how-to-heat-low-fat-milk-products
Linda Matthews says
I made this for supper tonight, we loved it! I had purchased some maple-infused balsamic vinegar while I was in the Upper Peninsula of the great state of Michigan. It gave the sauce a nice sweet & sour flavor. I will definitely continue to use your recipe. Thanks!
Julie says
That vinegar sounds wonderful! Thank you Linda!
Danica says
Just thought I’d let you know that I discovered your recipe a while ago and since then, this recipe has been on regular rotation at our house! We love it! It’s even one of the recipes I break out when my mother in law came to visit and she loved it so much she asked for a copy! Thanks for helping to impress the in laws!
Julie says
Danica, who-hoo! I love it, thanks for taking the time to write me a note!
Pris says
Can’t wait to make this. I’m surprised though at how how many people have not tried certain pieces of a chicken. Growing up we eat leg, thigh, wings and Breast. Some people are fed spoiled. Lol if you don’t have a garlic crusher just cut it up duh lol
Julie says
Hope you enjoy!
Debbie says
Love this recipe . My daughter in law had us over and served this! Yummy.. I already made it and can’t wait to serve to dinner guest. We squeezed lemon juice in too.
Julie says
Love it!
Judy Marks says
Went looking for a thigh recipe and came across this one. I made it for dinner last night and it was delicious! I substituted Agave for the brown sugar. It had a nice sweet flavor and was really simple to make. Love me some chicken thighs!! Thank you.
Julie says
Awesome Judy! Thanks for leaving me a note!
Louise says
Was glad to see a recipe for chicken thighs, which I love, made without the skins AND in a cast iron skillet. I would reduce the brown sugar to about 1/2 a tablespoon, though. With the inherent sweetness of the balsamic vinegar, mine was a bit too sweet. However, serving it over wild rice helped tame that a bit. I did substitute Greek yogurt for the heavy cream, to avoid the fat and calories. I mixed in some broth to the yogurt before adding it to the pan, to help prevent separation. I then added some steamed broccoli to the meal – perfect! And healthy, too.
Julie says
Thank you for the feedback Louise. I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a note!
Cj says
Made this tonight for the family and it was wonderful! I also appreciated how easy it was to prepare. Even my 4 year old enjoyed it! I ended up using more thighs than called for but there was still plenty of sauce left over. This is a keeper! Thanks and I’m glad to have found your site 🙂
Julie says
So glad to hear that. Thanks for finding me!
Eliza says
Made this for the second time this evening, this time over pasta. Delicious! Husband, 4 year old, 2 year old and myself devoured it. Thanks for creating a tasty recipe the whole family enjoyed!
Julie says
I’m so glad to hear that Eliza. Love it when the kiddos approve too!
Dennis Michael Nichols-Faber says
I made is recipe at a last minute thought. My husband and I really loved it. We will be making it again. We had butter baby carrots . The only thing I did different was added 6 cloves of garlic instead of 2.
Ed says
Hi, I made this a couple weeks ago for my wife and myself and it was delicious . Question we’re having a dinner party of 8 and I was wondering if you have ever made this ahead. Probably just a couple hours. Thanks for a great recipe.
Julie says
I have not tried making it ahead but I think it’s worth a try. Glad you enjoy the recipe!