Easy Balsamic chicken

This easy balsamic chicken recipe is so straightforward, and you will probably have a bottle of balsamic vinegar somewhere in your cupboard.

A little bit of garlic, spices, yoghurt, salt and balsamic vinegar mean you can change up weeknight dinners without going out of your way.

Many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern chicken recipes add vinegar to their marinades, which give them an extra depth of flavour.

You might also like my famous shish tawook recipe which uses white vinegar.

If you like sour things, why not also try my pomegranate molasses chicken, it's always a crowd pleaser.

Top Tips

There is a wide variety of balsamic vinegars out there ranging from the watery ones to the thicker ones.

You can use any balsamic vinegar just make sure you actually like the taste of it as that will determine the final flavour.

You can also use any cut of chicken, although you should cook chicken breast for less time than chicken on the bone.

Make sure you go out of your way to source the freshest highest quality chicken you can afford, preferably from a good butcher.

Marinade the chicken at least a few hours before, ideally overnight to get the maximum flavour.

I also like to marinade the potatoes and carrots with the chicken to have an instant side.

The yoghurt will also help tenderize the chicken and create the sauce for the marinade.

My favourite way to eat this type of chicken is with rice and salad. Any green salad or coleslaw will complement the sour tones nicely.

You can check out my recipe for perfect white rice. The main thing you should know is that you will need 1 and a half cups of water for 1 cup of rice.

Also, soaking the rice beforehand for around half an hour and sautéing it in a little oil before you add the water will the rice fluffier.

If you like that sharp balsamic taste, drizzle a little on the salad or on the chicken 10 minutes before the end of cooking.

There should also be a little sauce in the baking tray at the end which can be drizzled over the chicken and rice.

📖 Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print

Easy Balsamic Chicken

Subtly spiced chicken marinade with balsamic vinegar

Course Main Course

Cuisine Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword Crowd pleaser, Healthy, Quick and Easy

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

Ingredients

• 1 chicken quartered
• 3 tablespoon plain yoghurt
• 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• drizzle mild olive oil or neutral oil
• ½ teaspoon salt approx

Spices

• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon 7 spice
• ½ teaspoon sumac
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Vegetables

• 2 potatoes chopped
• 2 carrots chopped

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the yoghurt, spices, sumac, oregano, mild olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar. Stir well
2. After you wash and drain the chicken, add to the bowl and marinade for at least a few hours, preferably overnight
3. When you are ready to bake the chicken, take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature for around half an hour. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390F)
4. Roughly chop the carrots (into 1cm rings) and potatoes (2cm thick) rounds and add to the marinade and mix
5. Add the chicken and vegetables to a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C (350F) for another 40 minutes, turning the chicken every 15 minutes or so to get an even bake.
6. You can add a dash of balsamic vinegar 10 minutes before the end for extra flavour and colour.

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Check out our Youtube page for full video tutorials, our Facebook group to discuss Lebanese cooking, as well as our tiktok page for quick tips.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite salads to go with chicken and rice: