Balsamic and Dijon Chicken

This meal is best to prepare the night before, but may also be cooked in the crockpot for busy families

Got a piece of chicken you don’t know how to use? Whatever it is, use it for this recipe. I’ve suggested thighs, but you can use any cut of chicken you have available. Briefly marinated in a balsamic-mustard sauce, and then baked without any further fuss or work, the chicken turns out tender and juicy after just a few minutes of actual working time.

To make a full meal out of this, all you need are some roasted vegetable on the side, and, in fact, you can even make them right in the same pan. Just be sure to choose fairly hardy vegetables. Otherwise, they’ll get mushy and unappetizing after an hour of roasting. Chop them into bite-sized pieces, and layer them in the bottom of the baking pan before you add the chicken and the sauce. That way the vegetables are infused with flavor from the sauce and the chicken drippings, and better yet, you have an entire dinner ready to go without washing an extra dish.

If you have any leftover chicken the next day, this would be wonderful sliced thin over a salad, since mustard and balsamic are classic vinaigrette ingredients anyway. But if you want leftovers, you’d better cook up a lot of meat. Chicken this good is liable to disappear faster than the cook anticipated!

Ingredients  
8 boneless chicken thighs (you may also use chicken breast)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
½ cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation
In a separate bowl, combine the mustard, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, and season salt and pepper to your liking.
Pour the olive oil in with the mixture while whisking.
Place the chicken in a marinating container and pour the mustard balsamic marinade on top. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 375 F.
Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and empty the remaining sauce on top.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly

For crockpot, just prepare Dijon, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary, lemon, salt, and pepper and pour over chicken in the crockpot and let it cook!