Sometimes you have to strive to try new recipes to find new flavors you like, and to have new “standard” recipes for your rotation. It doesn’t always work out, but this time it did. Tracy came across a great healthy recipe that used balsamic vinegar, we modified it a little bit – and what we ended up with was a completely fantastic taste explosion!
Here are the ingredients you will need for this Balsamic Chicken and Veggies recipe:
- 1 lb of fresh chicken tenders
- 1 bunch of fresh asparagus
- 1/2 lb (or so) fresh green beans
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (about 16 if you’re counting)
- salt and pepper to taste
- garlic powder and related seasonings to taste
- olive oil (couple splashes for the pan)
- 3 tbsp olive oil (balsamic sauce)
- juice of 1 squeezed lemon (balsamic sauce)
- 3 cloves chopped garlic (balsamic sauce)
- 1/2 tbsp ground pepper (balsamic sauce)
- 1/2 tbsp salt (balsamic sauce)
- 1 tsp dried orgegano (balsamic sauce)
- 3 tbsp basamic vinegar (balsamic sauce)
- 3 tbsp honey, raw (balsamic sauce)
The first thing we did was preheat the oven to 400. We put about 2 tbsp olive oil in the pan, mixed the asparagus in it really good, and then placed in the oven for 10 minutes. While that was in, we also splashed about 3 tbsp or so of olive oil in a large skillet and cooked the green beans on medium heat. When the asparagus came out of the oven we added it to the skillet, and then mixed them with the beans and seasonings. You’ll want salt, pepper, and some garlic powder at least. I also added a little few other spices we like and cooked an additional 2-3 minutes – then removed from the skillet and placed to the side in the original pan we used in the oven (on the counter, no heat). You can turn the heat off on the skillet for a few minutes (unless you have a helper or got everything ready far in advance).
Next I took the chicken tenders and cut them once vertical and once horizontal, making each one 4 smaller pieces. Also make your balsamic sauce in a small bowl using the last 8 ingredients on the list above.
Using the same skillet the beans and asparagus were cooked in, add another splash of olive oil and cook the chicken on med-high heat until no longer pink. Don’t overcook the chicken and make the outside crispy or let the pan go dry. If this happens your heat is likely too high. Lower the heat to medium-low, and add the balsamic sauce to the chicken. Stir and get bubbly for 1-2 minutes, and add the veggies (beans and asparagus) back in. Stir 1-2 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes, stir an additional minute, turn off the heat – and serve!
There are a lot of variations to this recipe you could try. Next time we might add onion and green pepper, and I’ve seen some versions out there with mushrooms as well. Once you try the basic version once, add your own twist.
Enjoy!