Thursday, February 2, 2017

Cast-Iron Balsamic Chicken with Bacon & Onions


For years I have been wanting to get a cast iron skillet. I'd say, like 10 years at least, and just have never got around to it. Well, I got one for Christmas!! Yay for me!

I have been beyond excited to test this bad-boy out and see what different kinds of recipes I can come up with. So far, I have ventured into bacon, chicken and hamburger cooked on the stove and then finish it in the oven. Of course everything has been great as I assumed it would be. I will eventually make my way to the more intricate recipes that I see all over Pinterest.

I have a tried and true recipe we enjoy often - it's a balsamic-vinaigrette drenched chicken with bacon and onions, and is a quick and easy recipe and my kids love it as much as we do, so that is always a plus. It started life as a throw together experiment that quickly because a family favorite.

I thought why not make my true and tested chicken recipe in the cast iron, and see how it turned out.
Well, as expected, it was delicious made in the cast-iron skillet - and being able to transfer the same pan into the oven made it even easier than usual.

Balsamic Chicken with Bacon & Onions

Preheat oven to 400F.
Cook for 6 minutes on the stovetop, Bake for 20 minutes

4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup bottled Balsamic Vinaigrette (roughly)
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2-3 slices bacon (I use Applewood smoked bacon)

1. Drench chicken breasts in balsamic vinaigrette and let marinate for at least 1-2 hours. I cook a lot with frozen chicken breasts that I get in a big bag from Costco. I do not thaw them out before hand, just throw the sauce on and let it thaw while it marinates.

2. Cook 2-3 slices of bacon in the cast iron (to your liking). Remove most of the grease out of the pan but leave enough to cook with.

3. Slice up some red onions and let them cook in the skillet on low heat until they are softened and beginning to caramelize.

4. Put the chicken in on top of the onions. Cook on the stove top for about 6 minutes (long enough for one side to brown), then flip the chicken over and put the pan in the oven. (Make sure the pan you are using is oven safe!)

5. Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 165-170.

You may be asking what the heck I do with the bacon that I cooked in the beginning. In the past I have crumbled it on top of the chicken, and served it like that.

It is good, but this time I steamed up some broccoli and carrots and thought how amazing it would be to add cheese and bacon to the top of them. Yum!!

This was a perfect side dish for our chicken.

Give this recipe a try and comment if you have any helpful tips on what else I can use my new cast iron skillet for. Hope you enjoy this from my kitchen to yours!



14 comments:

  1. HI Amber,
    Wow sounds delicious. I love chicken and this sounds like a tasty healthy recipe that makes plain chicken and feast. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for linking up this deliciousness to the #HomeMattersParty

    I personally do as little cooking as possible. I love simple easy meals with a big bang of flavour like this recipe. Pinning.

    thanks for sharing Leanna

    ReplyDelete
  3. HI Amber,
    I have chosen your post as one of my features for this weeks Real Food Friday blog hop that goes live every Thursday @ 7pm EST. Thank you for sharing on valuable information on Real Food Fridays.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really need to use my cast iron more often. You have motivated me! Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds yummy! We just used our cast iron tonight to make chicken Parm. I love my cast iron and want a few more pieces now. Thanks for linking up with us at Together on Tuesdays. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm glad you got an iron skillet for Christmas, that's great! The Balsamic Chicken recipe sounds delicious; thanks for sharing it!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks great! And low carb... will def try!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yummy, this looks like a great comfort meal :) Thank you for sharing your recipe post at Together on Tuesdays!

    ReplyDelete
  9. We use our cast iron skillet for a lot of things. Tonight's dinner, smothered chicken was one. Really a great pan! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amber, we got a cast iron skillet for Christmas too! Yeah Santa! LOL This recipe looks so delish, we love bacon and balsamic. Pinning this to come back to, we have to make this for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a great recipe Amber! Happy Valentine Day and thanks so much for sharing your awesome talent with us at Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've heard great things about cooking with cast iron. I certainly like my Le Creuset cast iron, although it's slightly different. Your Balsamic Chicken with Bacon sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us at Hearth and Soul.

    ReplyDelete