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!