Honey Balsamic Chicken and Carrots

Did you know packages from Target sometimes arrive as packages from a company called "Honey Can Do?" Weird, right? Anyways, honey seems to be the theme this week because Will made a honey-filled dinner for us tonight. And he is certainly my "honey can do"-my honey handwashed my car, unpacked most everything from our trip, cleaned all of our camping gear, washed all the dishes, grocery shopped, and has made me dinner the past couple nights. I've got a good one :)

Will saw a new post on Budget Bytes after almost a weeks hiatus from reading it and found a honey balsamic chicken and remembered that Beth had previously posted a honey balsamic carrots recipe. Luckily, we had both on hand, so he was set to go. While he offered to have me assist him, I have gone right back to work at full speed and not had any vacation recovery time yet, so I declined. However, I declared I could be official taste tester this evening and I have to say it was tasty! Lots of flavor in these chicken tenders and both recipes work well together or separately. We realize in retrospect that some brown rice would have been a nice addition to the meal because we were still a bit hungry afterwards.

Honey Balsamic Chicken (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4)
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp honey

Slice the chicken breasts into six strips, cutting in a diagonal manner. Place the strips in a quart sized ziploc bag along with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, one clove of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

When it's time to cook, heat the 2nd tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, cook the strips until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). Remove chicken and place on a clean plate. Turn the heat down on the skillet to medium-low and add the butter and last 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and dissolve the sticky bits off the bottom. Once the mixture has dissolved together, add the honey, increase the heat, and let sauce simmer until thickened (about five minutes). Once thickened, add chicken back to skillet and toss to coat.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

Cooking Notes: Here's the full recipe for the Honey Balsamic Carrots. What Will did was roast the carrots like the recipe, then he tossed the roasted carrots in the sauce with the chicken because it's the same sauce.

Honey Balsamic Carrots (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4)
1-2 lbs carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean, peel, and cut carrots into one-inch sections (Will used baby carrots we had leftover). Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the carrots on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss carrots to coat. Place in oven and roast for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

During last ten minutes of cooking, prepare the glaze. Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pot. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until thick. Once thick, turn off heat and stir in butter until melted. When carrots are done roasting, drizzle with honey balsamic glaze and toss to coat.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Honey Balsamic Carrots