For Greg’s birthday I made a Rosemary Balsamic Chicken that was adapted by this recipe. I added more fresh rosemary and lemons to enhance the flavors of this wonderful recipe! This is one of those dishes you cannot stop eating! It is easy to make and just requires a bit of planning to marinade the chicken the night before. Be sure to make extras for leftovers.
The amount of marinade you make is based upon how many chicken breasts and how much sauce you enjoy with your meal. Be generous with the fresh rosemary sprigs since it adds a lot of flavor. When baking the chicken your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful rosemary aroma! Also add a ton of lemons when baking – not only does it look pretty it is needed for additional flavor. I used at least one large lemon when baking and then serving – I prepared several lemons so the exact measurement is unknown. The below picture shows the amount of lemons and rosemary sprigs added before baking. Be generous!
I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to the same width. The chicken was in the marinade for about 20-hours; baked for 30-minutes and was perfectly moist and flavorful with the rosemary and lemon!
For the pan sauce you have different options. The reserved marinade could be added to the pan when roasting the chicken and then carefully poured into a saucepan to thicken. Another option is to use a portion of the reserved marinade to roast the chicken adding the remaining marinade to a saucepan. Then carefully add the sauce from the roasting pan to the saucepan on the stovetop to finish. I did not want the chicken to get cold so while finishing the sauce and side dishes, the chicken was placed in a warming dish on a very low heat.
After placing the chicken in the warming dish, the pan sauce was drizzled over introducing more wonderful flavors!
Plate the dish with a lemon and rosemary sprig! If there are leftovers remove the rosemary sprigs since once cooked the needles will start to fall off and mix through the chicken and sauce.
Marinade Ingredients:
Kosher salt
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2/3 cup good Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 – 3 Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Chicken Ingredients:
6 – 8 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
6 to 8 Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 Large Lemons, thinly sliced
at least 1 to 2 slices per chicken breast and more for serving
Overnight Chicken Preparation:
Wash, dry, and pound the chicken. Mix together the marinade ingredients – except for fresh rosemary sprigs. Place chicken in a sealable bag and add about a third of the marinade, add fresh rosemary sprigs and place in the refrigerator overnight and up to 24-hours. Refrigerate the remaining marinade.
Baking the Chicken Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator while the oven is preheating. Use the appropriate baking dishes depending upon the amount of chicken to bake. Add the chicken and some of the reserved marinade plus the fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh lemon slices. Bake uncovered for about 25 to 30-minutes depending upon the size and type of chicken you are baking.
For the pan sauce you have different options. The reserved marinade could be added to the pan when roasting the chicken and then carefully poured into a saucepan to thicken. Another option is to use a portion of the reserved marinade to roast the chicken adding the remaining marinade to a saucepan. Then carefully add the sauce from the roasting pan to the saucepan on the stovetop to finish. I did not want the chicken to get cold so while finishing the sauce and side dishes, the chicken was placed in a warming dish on a very low heat.
Plate the chicken with both the baked and fresh rosemary sprigs, lemon slices, and pan sauce! Serve with a full-bodied red wine!
Beachbody 21 Day Fix®
Note: you might want to reduce the olive oil and use less finishing sauce to control the number of teaspoons of olive oil. Eliminate the brown sugar and consider adding raw honey (if you reduce the olive oil to free up a teaspoon).
1 Red 2 Teaspoons
Note: Container measurements are approximate and may change based upon how you prepare this recipe.
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