Baked Balsamic Chicken
User Reviews
4.7
Baked Balsamic Chicken
Description
This recipe uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or drumsticks or wings) arranged snugly in a foil-lined baking dish. The chicken is coated with a balanced sauce of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, and minced garlic. The chicken roasts at a moderate temperature, initially skin-side down, then flipped mid-way to evenly cook and thicken the sauce.
As the chicken bakes, the glaze reduces to a syrupy consistency, creating a sticky coating that enhances the chicken’s flavor and texture. The skin crisps while the meat stays moist inside, enriched by the sauce's umami and sweetness. This dish pairs well with simple sides, letting the balsamic glaze shine.
Frozen chicken must be thoroughly thawed and patted dry before cooking to avoid excess liquid, which can affect sauce thickness. The recipe does not work well with chicken breasts without modification; the sauce should be reduced separately in that case. Leftovers reheat well in a microwave and frozen marinated chicken can be thawed to marinate.
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2 lb chicken thighs 5 pieces, bone in, skin on; or drumsticks or wings (any combination
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 2 1/2 tbsp / 50 ml soy sauce , all purpose or light (not dark soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup (85 g / 65 ml) honey
- 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar , loosely packed (Note 2)
- 2 garlic or 1 1/2 tsp garlic paste from jar, cloves, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Line a baking dish with foil and baking / parchment paper.
- Mix together Sauce in a bowl.
- Place chicken in baking dish, skin side down for thighs and wings. Make sure the pan is big enough so the chicken is squished up next to each other (sauce may not reduce enough), but not so large that there is more than 4"/10 cm between every piece of chicken (sauce may reduce too much).
- Pour over Sauce. Bake 30 minutes. Turn chicken over, spoon over sauce.
- Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. The Sauce should have thickened.
- Stand for 5 minutes, then spoon Sauce over chicken and serve.
Notes
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, wings, or drumsticks for best results ensuring the skin crisps and sauce thickens.
- If using frozen chicken, thaw completely and pat dry to prevent excess liquid interfering with glaze consistency.
- Chicken breasts require a separate sauce reduction method; double sauce and simmer to make a syrup before applying.
- Adjust baking dish size to avoid crowding; too little space prevents proper sauce reduction, too much causes over-thickening.
- The sauce is flavorful without marinating but can marinate chicken up to 24 hours or be frozen combined and thawed to marinate.
- Cooked leftovers reheat well for up to 3 days and freeze well when marinated.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4- 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories 475 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 255g | |
| Calories | 475cal | 24% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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