Balsamic Chicken Thighs With Burst Tomatoes

By Dan Pelosi

Updated October 2, 2024

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,585)
Comments
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It’s very likely you have everything on hand to make this easy chicken skillet for dinner tonight. Crispy chicken thighs are sautéed in a sweet and savory balsamic glaze made with chicken stock, mustard and garlic. Sweet cherry tomatoes surround the chicken as it cooks, bursting into the balsamic, soaking up all the flavor as their juices mingle, creating a delicious sauce that would be perfect sopped up by some crusty bread or served over pasta  or polenta.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

  • ¼ cup chicken stock

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon or deli mustard

  • 6 garlic cloves, grated

  • Crushed red pepper

  • 2 pounds bone- in, skin -on chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)

  • Salt

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes

  • Fresh basil, for serving

  • Cooked rice, pasta or polenta, or crusty bread, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, chicken stock, mustard, garlic and a pinch of red pepper. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Pat chicken thighs with a paper towel until the skin is dry, then salt generously all over. Set a medium to large oven-proof skillet or pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs skin-down and cook, untouched, for 9 minutes. When the skins release from the pan, flip the thighs over and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove thighs from pan and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Add the balsamic mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping away the bits on the bottom as you go, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, set your oven to broil.

  4. Step 4

    Add tomatoes and chicken thighs, skin-side up, to the pan. Spoon the balsamic juices over the tomatoes and the chicken skin, cover the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, spoon more balsamic juices over the chicken thighs, then cover the pan and simmer for 3 more minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Remove the cover, spoon more balsamic juices over the chicken thighs, and then place the uncovered pan into the oven to broil until the chicken skin is browned and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately over rice, pasta or polenta, or with a few chunks of crusty bread.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,585 user ratings
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Comments

cynthia

I had a big day today but wavered between a pasta or a chicken recipe. I came across this one. Can't get simpler than this. I always follow a recipe the way it's offered to see what the writer wanted me/us to get. This time I didn't use the broiler but did it all on the stove top. The Balsamic sauce was pure heaven! OMG! We dipped sourdough batard in it and had browned green beans on the side. I will use this Balsamic sauce for other dishes. Seriously. 5 stars!

David

Made this for my lady for dinner. She deemed the dish, "delicious and tasty like my husband." So ya know, the night worked out. Will make again many times. (Also fyi, pairs well with wine.)

Christine Schmidt

I made this today. Delish! I added broccoli for some green and served over baked potato. I used skinless, boneless thighs so didn't need to broil. I allowed the sauce to thicken a bit and this was just great and super easy. While no ones looking I'm gonna sneak back in and grab some more.

LLF93

i would double the sauce to have extra.

Lyn

Would this recipe benefit from a marinade for a couple hours before cooking? Everytime I make chicken thighs with less than 24 hours of marinating it comes out bland.

Tim B

This rocked. Made it exactly as described except I had boneless skinless thighs so I removed them basically as soon as both sides browned then added them back later right before broiling. I also added a scoop of pasta water (served it with pasta) to help account for the loss of moisture due to subbing meat and then a little squirt of stock concentrate. It was great, fast and really good. Fresh basil and crusty bread makes it come together, as the author states. Will add this to the weeknight rotation.

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