These balsamic figs are have a fantastic tang that dresses up a chicken breast in the best way. The figs can be prepared completely separately from the chicken, which offers the cook a huge advantage in practicality.
For the chicken and figs:
Ingredients to serve 4:
1/2 medium onion, peeled
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
4 oz. (1 generous half-cup) dried, Black Mission figs
1 Tbs butter
1 tsp thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
Freshly-ground black pepper
4 ready-to-eat chicken breasts (see notes)
How to do it:
- Finely chop the onion. Finely chop the figs.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add thyme and stir for 30 seconds. Add onion, season with salt, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the liquid almost runs dry, about 3 minutes. Correct salt, add pepper to taste.
- Allow the figs to stand as you prepare the chicken. Serve warm or at room temperature, spooned over chicken.
Notes:
The figs go nicely with any kind of plain chicken breasts, no matter how you’ve prepared them. Let me point you to my favorite chicken breast recipes, if you’d like some traditional-style suggestions.
If you want something more cutting edge, check out the sous vide method that I use for this Chicken Parmesan recipe. I go through regular spates of buying family packs of breasts on the weekend, popping them all into a single bag, and sous viding them, and them moving them directly into the fridge. Not only do they create a great source of protein that you can transform into so many kinds of interesting dishes during the week, but reheated sous vide chicken is better than most freshly-made sautéed breasts. Seriously! Pan frying chicken breast usually starts on the stovetop and ends in the oven. With a leftover sous vide breast straight from the fridge, it starts and ends in the pan. By the time it’s browned, it’s heated through, which is all that’s needed. And you can do to the breast in the pan whatever you’d normally do: brown it, bread it, grill it … whatever.
For the potatoes:
Ingredients to serve 4:
1 lb. 8 oz. new potatoes
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbs olive oil
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Quarter the potatoes into wedges. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle them with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes. Using two large spatulas, toss the potatoes. Make sure to get all of them covered in oil, and to get oil all over the bottom of the baking sheet.
- Slide the potatoes into the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender and browned, 30-40 minutes. Check seasoning. Serve immediately.
Logistics:
The figs can be prepared way ahead, kept in the fridge and reheated. The potatoes can be prepped up to the point that they should be baked, and then held for a while on the countertop before baking. They should be served before they get cold, and they don’t reheat especially well, so you’ll want to time the potatoes so that they finish just as you’re finishing the chicken.
Chicken with Balsamic Figs and Roasted Potato Wedges
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. The plates I prepared for this post also had a serving of Pumpkin Gratin, which can also be made ahead and reheated.
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It looks very yummy and flavourful with figs and onions. I love that it can be prepared in advance. A really nice meal, Jeff.
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Love the idea of sous vide-ing your chicken breasts in advance. So smart! And the balsamic fig topping just looks 😍.
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I really love dried figs, this chicken and potato plate looks sooo good!! Have a nice evening!
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Oh my! This recipe is making my taste buds sing. What a GREAT combination – figs and chicken. I would not have thought of those two together before seeing your recipe. But … Mmmmm. Sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
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This looks absolutely delicious Jeff!!
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Your Balsamic Figs sounds wonderful and a relish that will not only be on chicken in this house but also atop a fine grilled pork cutlet as well. Either would pair very well with your rosemary roasted potatoes.
Jeff, I’m with your about sous vide chicken breast. For us, it’s the only way to cook them. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t eat chicken breast until I tasted sous vide chicken breast. Now I’m converted. Have you tried sous vide turkey breast? I know it would be a treat with your Balsamic Figs.
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Turkey breast – what a great idea! I’m sure this relish would be fantastic on pork, too.
The sous vide master is at it again! I must admit, Jeff, that you talking about sous vide has inspired me to think about pulling out our sous vide wand again. I’m also glad to see that you used dried figs here. I went hunting for fresh figs up here one time…that took a near act of God to get fresh figs in upstate New York. Seriously.
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That balsamic fig topping sounds so good! What a lovely meal.
Thanks, Amy!
What a lovely combination. Dried figs are so good; I prefer them over fresh in fact. And I love figs mixed with savory. I often use them in chutneys for that reason. This is really great.
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What a fabulous pairing! I absolutely LOVE figs! Figs, rosemary, roasted potatoes, such an elegant combination YUM! Another excellent dish Jeff!
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This is really a lovely meal. My dad has a Mission fig tree, and when it’s full, I’ll try this. Beautiful. ~Valentina
Cool!
This looks like an amazing recipe. I have yet to use figs in something savory.
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I usually have a bag of dried figs around the house because I like to snack on them. I’ll keep this recipe in the inspiration file, otherwise known as the back of my muddled brain… GREG
😉
You had me at balsamic figs – what an unusual but absolutely mouthwatering combination. Yum! Thanks for the inspiration, Jeff.
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The balsamic figs really turned an ordinary chicken dish into something extraordinary. I can only imagine how wonderful those balsamic figs taste.
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Perfect combo of flavours, beautiful meal! It would be lovely for Valentine’s Day dinner ☺
Actually, I think it would!
This balsamic fig topping looks so good!
Yummy!
Thanks!
What a great combination of figs and balsamic vinegar. Great recipe idea!
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What a nice looking plate! Makes me want to dig right in… The best thing about the fig and balsamic mixture? I can think of so many ways to use it… it will become a kitchen staple!
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What a great topping for chicken Jeff. I can imagine that sweet fig topping contrasting with the chicken so well. And rosemary roasted potatoes? Yeah you’ve got me hooked right into this one. Love it!
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This is superb and do ahead meals are always welcome. Dried figs are such a sweet pleasure and paired with the balsamic flavour, moist chicken and roasted potato wedges, this meal is definitely a winner. Thank you for sharing 😀
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Dear Jeff, what a great combination of flavors and textures – it would never have occurred to me to add balsamic-fig-topping to my chicken, that sounds very flavorful and it looks very pretty too, especially with the side of potatoes!
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We made these for supper last night using salt and paprika for seasonings. So good!
🙂
It looks extremely yummy and delightful with figs and onions. I love that it tends to be ready ahead of time. A truly pleasant dinner. Sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
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