These balsamic chicken thighs are the perfect weeknight meal. The chicken cooks in just one pan on the stovetop and is ready to enjoy in just about 30 minutes!

Balsamic chicken thighs in serving dish with fork.

This delicious and easy balsamic chicken is one that is in regular rotation here. It’s one-pan easy, ready in 30 minutes and always delicious! And everyone loves it. Always a good thing :)

I love to make it with bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs, but this sauce is lovely with any kind of chicken. Using skin-on thighs delivers that crispy skin and moist chicken that always makes for a nice meal though.

Ingredients and substitutions

A few notes about the key ingredients …

Bone-in/Skin-on Chicken Thighs – I enjoy making this balsamic chicken with bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, as I do enjoy the crispy skin. That said, This sauce will work with any kind of chicken. If using bone-in chicken breasts though, your cooking time will be longer. For boneless chicken, the cooking time will be less.

Balsamic vinegar – Use a dark balsamic vinegar you enjoy the flavour of.

Maple syrup – Maple syrup is a lovely addition to this dish, but you can substitute brown sugar if you like.

Recipe tips!

  • You’ll want to be sure to cook your chicken thighs when they are skin-side down until they are deep golden. This will probably take 5-7 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. This accomplishes a couple of things. First, it cooks off a lot of the fat, which you can then discard before you add the sauce and secondly, it makes for a lovely, crispy skin that is perfect for glazing.
  • Speaking of the crispy skin, I don’t flip the chicken once I add the sauce, so that the skin doesn’t get soggy. The sauce should come about 1/3-1/2 way up the side of the chicken, so it will cook the chicken just fine (and we did well cook the skin side when we seared it). I just spoon the sauce over-top of the skin a couple of times while it cooks. This will glaze it, but still keep it fairly crispy.
  • If your sauce is a little thin for your liking once your chicken is done, remove the chicken and thicken the sauce with a mixture of 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water. Add it a bit at a time and cook briefly, stirring, until the sauce is as thick as you’d like.
Balsamic chicken thighs in serving dish with fork.

What to serve with balsamic chicken

This sauce is very gravy-like, so I like to serve it with mashed potatoes (try garlic mashed!). Add a green veg or a salad for a great meal.

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Balsamic chicken thighs in serving dish with fork.

Get the Recipe: Balsamic Chicken Thighs

A perfect weeknight meal, these balsamic chicken thighs are made in one pan on the stovetop and are ready to enjoy in just about 30 minutes.
4.78 stars from 9 ratings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 skin-on/bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoon real maple syrup, or substitute 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • For the sauce: Stir together the chicken broth, balsamic, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • In a 10 to 12-inch skillet (large enough to hold all your chicken with a bit of space in between), heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin-side down and cook until the skin is deep golden, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and discard all but about a teaspoon or two of the fat in the pan.
  • Return the pan to the burner and stir in the garlic slices. Cook, stirring, until just softened and fragrant, 30-40 seconds. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return chicken to the pan, skin side up and allow to simmer 10-15 minutes, spooning some of the sauce overtop of the chicken a time or two, until chicken is cooked through. If sauce is not thick enough, you can stir in a mixture of 2 tsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens.

Notes

Be sure to check out the notes above this Recipe Card,  for more tips and tricks for making this recipe!
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 451kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 534mg, Potassium: 417mg, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 130IU, Vitamin C: 2.6mg, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 1.4mg
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