Preparation
I try to buy meat in bulk whenever I can because I love a freezer stocked with all cuts of meat. This makes my life easier when I come up with a new idea or craving for dinner and ensures I’m not running to the store every other day.
I buy the meat, portion it out and freeze in ready-to-cook batches. Depending on the meat I may do a little prep which includes cutting chicken thighs or breasts into cubes (for pasta and stirfry) or putting the meat in marinades.
This balsamic marinade is one of my go-to’s. I think it tastes best on chicken legs because the skin gets oh so crispy with the balsamic vinegar but as you can see in the video below, chicken breasts are also a top choice.
The recipe could not be simpler. Mix the few required ingredients together and pour over chicken breasts, legs, thighs, or even pork chops. This recipe covers about 1-1.5lbs of chicken or pork. Place in a sealable freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. Alternatively, you can marinade for 30 minutes and cook fresh.
If cooking after freezing, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in the oven on 400°F for 30 minutes if using chicken breasts. Ensure that the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Serving
Balsamic chicken works beautifully on the side of turmeric rice and a warm side like cheesy lemon asparagus.
It’s also great with roasted potatoes and our steamed green beans.Â
If you are freezing the chicken, it is a great go-to on the side of any leftovers you may have from the night before, like mac and cheese.
Substitutions
Thyme:Â You can use rosemary instead of thyme or a combination of the two.
Chicken: This recipe works great with all cuts of chicken however anything with skin on will be best (i.e. bone-in, skin-on thighs, chicken legs, or drumsticks).
This recipe will also work great with pork chops or pork tenderloin. Here is a pork tenderloin I made for Easter. Marinate the pork in the balsamic marinade for at least an hour. I marinated this one for almost five hours but only because I was prepping everything early in the morning.
I served the balsamic pork sliced, topped with a dijon sauce. On the side, I served scalloped potatoes, pan-roasted green beans with almonds, parmesan Brussels sprouts and garlic spinach.Â
 
 
Balsamic Marinade Recipe
Equipment
- Small bowl, large silicone or Ziploc bag
Ingredients
- â…› cup olive oil
- â…› cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic medium
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl1/8 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, 1 clove garlic
- Pour over 1-1.5lbs of chicken or pork. In my opinion, the marinade turns out best on any cut of chicken with the skin on.
- Seal in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the fridge overnight and bake on 400°F for 30 minutes (depending on the cut of meat) or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
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