Balsamic marinated chicken breast with Aglio olio

With the holiday season upon us, warm and big chicken plates are the season’s musts. I recently tried a balsamic marinated chicken breast and paired with an Aglio Olio inspired by The Chef Show. However easy chicken may look to cook, it is a tough nut to crack. Pun intended! Overcook this meat just a bit and you have yourselves a tough, chewy toughie. Moreover, since chicken is pretty bland on its own, marination is essential. Generally, I do 2-hour chicken marination if I am cooking Indian curries, but this one is an overnight marinade. You can choose to marinate the meat for 2-3 hours but I highly recommend overnight marination if time allows.

Chicken breasts are best paired with mashed potatoes. It was linguine Aglio olio for me however after an awe-inspiring episode of The Chef Show. You can check out the recipe for chicken breast in cranberry and mashed potato here.

Ingredients for the Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breast

  • Chicken breast – 300 gm
  • Garlic cloves chopped – 8 to 10 medium-sized
  • Garlic and ginger paste – 1 tsp
  • Balsamic vinegar – 4 tbsp
  • Salt & pepper – to taste
  • Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
  • Thick cream – 2 tbsp

Method for the Balsamic Marinated Chicken Breast

  • Wash the chicken breast thoroughly and pat dry.
  • Lightly pound the chicken to make it flatter to ensure even cooking.
  • Using a knife, add 4 to 5 slices of the chicken pieces so that the marinade gets absorbed well.
  • Rub ginger garlic paste, salt and pepper on the chicken breast. Add the balsamic vinegar, mix well and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
  • To cook, heat olive oil in a non-stick pan, add chopped garlic and cook till fragrant.
  • Place the chicken on the pan, transfer all the marinade, cover and cook on one side for 6 to 7 minutes on medium-high heat. Do not fiddle with the chicken too much however much you might be tempted to.
  • Using a pair of tongs, flip the chicken over, cover a cook on the other side for 5-6 minutes.
  • Season with more salt and pepper as per your taste. Add 2 tbsp cream to the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken and sauce comes together.
linguine aglio olio

Ingredients for the Linguine Aglio Olio

  • Linguine – 1 oz (check ounce measure of pasta here)
  • Garlic cloves – 4 to 5 cloves, sliced
  • Olive oil – 2 tbsp
  • Lemon zest – 1 tsp
  • Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
  • Oregano and chilly flakes – 1 tbsp mixed
  • Salt – to taste

Method for the Linguine Aglio Olio

  • Boil the pasta until al- dente.
  • In a pan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic cloves. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
  • Using a spaghetti strainer, transfer the linguine to the cooking pan.
  • Add the oregano, chilly flakes, salt and mix well.
  • Pour a ladle full of pasta water, add lemon zest and lemon juice.
  • Cook for two minutes until the water has evaporated.

The final plating – Balsamic marinated chicken breast with linguine aglio olio

  • Using tongs and an inspired technique from the Chefs, roll the linguine and place the pasta as nests on a plate.
  • Place the chicken breast with the sauce over the pasta.
  • For extra zest, I cooked lemon slices with a tablespoon of cream for a minute and poured over the chicken breast. Removed them before eating but added a surprising freshness to it!

Make sure you cook both these elements alongside. The pasta is likely to be done easily to ensure a hot meal. Re-heating ruins grilled chicken. Also, only 15 days to Christmas, are you as excited as I am? Make yourselves a plate of balsamic marinated chicken breast with aglio olio and mulled wine. And put on your favourite Christmas movie! 😀

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