Balsamic Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes an evening calls for a simple meal.  My blog is a chronicle of my descent into a cooking and baking obsession, rather than a compilation of only the best or most complex are recipes.  Because of this, there's a variety of foods, from basic, simple dishes like this one or more complex creations such as Homemade Egg Rolls or Blueberry Chocolate Torte.  My goal is realism--not everything I make is going to make me feel like I'm stepping into a new frontier of food, but everything serves as a learning experience. I love looking back at older posts and seeing how much I've developed as a cook, and tracking my baking gives me a great timeline and cookbook.  I always use my older posts when I cook the dish again!

This particular evening called for a simple, easy to prepare dinner.  I had chicken and sweet potatoes on hand, and decided to try cooking the potatoes and chicken together in a skillet rather than making a separate side of mashed or roasted potatoes.

I've found balsamic vinegar to be a great add in for sauces, as it adds a really unique flavor.  I followed the style of Chicken with Jalapeño Onion Gravy by adding the chicken to the skillet to brown both sides, then adding in the potatoes and some chopped onion with it and cooking it for a few minutes.

I added in the balsamic vinegar, Marsala wine, water, salt, pepper, and chili powder, then let the mixture simmer covered for 15-20 minutes over medium heat.  The potatoes cooked pretty fast!

I served them with a side of quinoa for a complete meal.

Balsamic vinegar wins again!  This was quite delicious, and potatoes softened well in the skillet.  They take 45-50 minutes in the oven, but cooked in just about 25 minutes on the stovetop.  The end result was a tangy sauce and moist chicken, plus potatoes to top it off.  I have to say, for an easy  meal this just works.

Balsamic Chicken and Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, sliced
2 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 cup water

Instructions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to cast iron skillet with some olive oil to brown both sides.  Add chopped onion and sweet potato to skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, Marsala wine, white pepper, chili powder, and water.  Heat to simmer and cover for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft.