Since the name for this dinner is so long I am going to refer to it as Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar from here on out.
The reason that this post is sub-titled "Behind The Scenes" is because I couldn't come up with something more interesting so I think I'll tell you how this blog is written. When I first committed to writing this blog I didn't have a fully formed plan(and still don't) for what I was going to do. The only things I knew were that I wanted to post a picture, tell a short anecdotal story that hopefully ties into the recipe, and post the recipe. I've never done anything like this before and to be honest I've never really had any interest in writing. In my mind this whole thing started out as an experiment and to this day it is still largely an experiment.
The ideas for the stories come to me based on the recipes which is to say that I pick a recipe and then write a short anecdotal story around it. In the case of this post I decided that I was going to write about chicken with balsamic vinegar, realized I got nothing, and decided to write about writing.
The writing process is the most involved part of the blog. Early in the process I realized that I need to stay on top of the writing or I will get behind and will end up doing it all at the last minute. As you've probably figured out I am not a writer and I do very little editing. The way that I write is I sit down with a yellow legal pad and start writing, most of this is just a stream of consciousness type of let the words flow and hope they make sense. My time line for writing is usually 1 to 2 weeks before posting but sometimes when I know that I am not going to have time to dedicate to the process I will work ahead a few weeks. Right now I am writing this four weeks before it will be posted. My deadline for posting each entry is Monday afternoon before I announce the posting on Facebook on Tuesday. What this means is that if you subscribe to this blog or you save it in your favorites you will be able to read it on Monday evening before it is announced on Tuesday.
The pictures that you see on each post are taken at the time I make each dinner. As you can probably tell I am not a photographer, all I do is take a few pictures and choose the one I like best. The pictures aren't staged in the way that you would see in a cookbook or magazine but rather I cook the food, put it on a plate, take some pictures, and then eat dinner. Due to the trial and error nature of cooking most of the pictures that you see come from the second or third time that I make the recipe. Occasionally I will include additional pictures if I think that they are needed for clarification but generally one picture of the finished product is enough to let you know what each dinner should look like.
I don't have any set in stone format for my posts yet but I am trying to get into a regular rotation of types of dinners. My goal is to post regular dinners on the first two or three weeks of each month followed by a crock pot recipe on the next to last week and a snack recipe the last week of each month.
So, what's next? Over the last couple of months I have been I have been trying to have one vegetarian day each month. I have found a few vegetarian dinners that I like and I've had some success with, I'm thinking about posting a vegetarian dinner roughly every three months or so. Also, since we are enjoying nice weather and summer is starting I thought that I should post some recipes for the grill. Be sure to check back here for these new and exciting dinners.
Now that you know a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes of this blog let's take a look at today's dinner.
Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, Sweet Onions, and Thyme
Prep time 10 Min. Cook time 20 Min. Serves 4
Ingredients
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, four 4 Oz. pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1 small vidalia onion, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. thyme, fresh chopped
2 tsp butter
Instructions
On a plate, combine flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and turn to coat; shake off any excess.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until golden and cooked through, about 7 minutes; remove to a serving plate and cover to keep warm.
Add onion to skillet; saut'e over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add broth, vinegar, thyme and remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in butter until melted; spoon sauce over chicken.
*Don't have fresh thyme? Use 1/2 tsp of dried thyme instead.
This recipe yields 1 chicken breast and about 1/4 cup onion sauce per serving.
From the moist tenderness of the chicken to the biting tanginess of the balsamic vinegar to the sweetness of the onions this dinner has some interesting flavors. Thank you for bearing with me through these short stories and I hope you are enjoying these recipes. As always, if you try this dinner check back here and let me know how it turned out.
Next week - Grilled Flank Steak with Corn, Black Beans and Avocado Salad or If It's Too Hot in the Kitchen.
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