Easy Dutch Oven Balsamic Chicken Marsala

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One-Pot with a flavor shortcut…

As of late I have been working on a slew of new paleo sauces for my upcoming book, One Pot Paleo. These sauces often involve simmering for a while and sometimes an immersion blender. Understanding that not everyone has the time (or desire) to whip up their own paleo sauces, I reached out to Steve’s PaleoGoods to check out their PaleoChef line of paleo-friendly sauces and dressings. One of the first flavors I tried was the tomato balsamic dressing, which was beyond excellent on a basic garden salad. It tastes like fresh tomatoes and reminded me slightly of a good pizza sauce with a twist of balsamic. My visiting mother and sister both agreed, and they are both the type that have their refrigerator door lined with salad dressing bottles, making them salad dressing experts or something.

I immediately thought that this dressing would be a killer chicken marinade, and this quick-marsala recipe is the result of me playing around with it in the kitchen. For a super simple recipe I am quite impressed with how tasty this came out, and it only uses a half cup of the dressing as a flavor booster, making it cost effective as well. The dressing worked as intended, a quick flavor kick that saved prep time. Win.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Steve’s PaleoGoods, this is not a paid advertisement, etc. I simply enjoyed the product and have admired the company from afar from some time. If you are not one to make your own sauces and are in the market to purchase pre-made stuff, you will most likely enjoy the product while also feeling good about supporting a small business and fitness program for at-risk youth. I didn’t have to write that sentence, but that’s just how I prefer to do things here 🙂

 

Tools Needed:

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken thighs.
  • 1/2 cup of Steve’s PaleoGoods Tomato Balsamic dressing.
  • 1 small package (2 to 3 cups) of sliced bella mushrooms.
  • 1 medium white or vidalia onion, cut in half and sliced into medium strips.
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh chopped tomato or tomato sauce.
  • 1 tbsp of butter or ghee.
  • 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced.
  • salt & pepper to taste.

How you make it:

  1. Before cooking, place chicken thighs in your ziplock bag with 1/2 cup of the tomato balsamic dressing. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
  2. Place your dutch oven on a stovetop burner, set to medium heat, and also turn your oven on to 350°F.
  3. Add your butter and garlic to your dutch oven, stir and raise heat to medium-high.
  4. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and add to your dutch oven (with any remaining dressing from the bag) to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
  5. Once browned, remove your dutch oven from the hot burner. Add your tomatoes.
  6. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the tomatoes and scrape the bottom of your dutch oven. That is where the flavor lies.
  7. Add your onions and mushrooms to the top of your chicken and tomatoes, no need to stir in.
  8. Cover and put into your 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
  9. That’s it! This savory meal pairs well with a salad and olives, enjoy

 

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13 Comments

  1. Kristan says:

    Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it in February after my Whole 30. Thanks Jason!

  2. Becky D says:

    I’m confused…I don’t see the Marsala? When do you add it?

    1. Jason says:

      I skipped the wine, the other major flavors are there. You can halve the amount of tomatoes and add in a half cup of wine if you wish before going into the oven.

  3. Becky D says:

    Okay – it’s just it’s not Marsala if there isn’t any Marsala. 😉
    (Chicken Marsala is my very favorite Italian Dish, and I was excited to see a dutch oven recipe for it.)

    1. Jason says:

      Then go ahead and add some Marsala for yourself 🙂

      It’s not that I’m against adding wine, just that most people don’t have it on hand. Enjoy!

  4. Jill says:

    Any other sauce we can use besides tomato balsamic?

  5. laura says:

    as much as i love me some chicken thighs, i happen to have chicken breast thawed and ready. should i go ahead and make with chicken breasts?? or is it not worth it??

    1. Jason says:

      Breasts will work, yet I would simply cut down on the cooking time slightly.

  6. Brenda says:

    Sorry, I noticed after I submitted my last comment that the PaleoChef products are not yours. Oooppps. Is there anything I can use to substitute the tomatoes balsamic dressing with?

    Thanks

    1. Jason says:

      For that 1/2 cup of sauce you could try a mixture of half balsamic, half crushed/diced tomatoes, with a tsp or 2 of Italian seasoning.

      1. Amanda says:

        I live in Alaska and grocery costs are high so ordering something I may only use a few times a month just isn’t cost effective but I made it using this method and it turned out fabulous. Served it with a salad and the family was happy. Thank you!

  7. Stacey says:

    Made this dish tonite but changed up a few things

    I pan seared the chicken on both sides WITHOUT the remainder of marinade in the Dutch oven BEFORE I put in the garlic and ghee
    Removed chicken from pan added ghee and garlic
    Added tomatoes, remainder of marinade, 1/2 c chicken stock , 1/2 c Marsala- scraped bottom of pan to get all the flavor
    Bring it all to a boil, lower heat add back in chicken , onions & mushrooms
    Covered and baked @ 350 for 30 minutes removed foil baked an additional 30 minutes @ 275 to let broth reduce

    It was DELICIOUS!

  8. Theresa Fahl says:

    Can this be cooked in the Instant Pot? Any direction?

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