Balsamic Chicken

The beauty of balsamic chicken is in it's simplicity and complexity. Simple because it takes 20 minutes to make with relatively little effort. Complex in it's flavor with a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shallots. This is a recipe of my own invention so please let me know what you think!

Hardware:
A skillet
A wooden spoon
A spatula
A chef's knife
A wooden cutting board
A plate
A small sheet of aluminum foil

Ingredients:
1 lb. thawed, skinless chicken breast
1 shallot offset
1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Begin by warming the skillet over a medium flame until it is nice hot. While the skillet is heating up, season the chicken breast with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Add one tablespoon olive oil to the hot skillet. Let the oil heat for about 30 seconds, just long enough for it to begin to smoke.

Place the seasoned chicken breasts smooth side down on the hot skillet. Let the chicken grill for 5-7 minutes. While the chicken is grilling, peel and slice the shallot using your chef's knife. If you don't have a shallot you can substitute a mixture of sliced garlic and onion.

Flip the chicken over and continue grilling for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Put the cooked chicken on your plate. Tent the plate with aluminum foil to keep the chicken warm.

Add the sliced shallots to the skillet. Using your wooden spoon scrape up all the brown little bits you can. Let the shallots saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Carefully pour in the 1/2 cup or so of balsamic vinegar. The pan will sizzle a lot so be careful. After pouring in the vinegar use you wooden spoon and continue to stir the mixture scraping up the last of those browned bits of flavor. Let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes until a nice sauce consistency.

As the sauce is reducing slice your chicken and arrange on a plate. Pour the finished balsamic sauce over the chicken slices and garnish with the caramelized shallots and a sprig of flat-leaf parsley.

Enjoy!