If there was one weeknight dish that gets us in the Christmas mood it is this pomegranate balsamic chicken. We love this dish because of how simple it is to cook. It comes together easily in under 30 minutes, it is packed full of antioxidants and nutrients, and (most importantly) it is so delicious. As an added bonus, it is so pretty with the red and green from the pomegranate seeds and arugula. We like to serve this with couscous but if you’d like to keep it grain/gluten free it will also be great over mashed potatoes.
This pomegranate balsamic chicken uses, you guessed it, pomegranate seeds. Pomegranates are at peak season from about October thru January. During those months we prefer to buy whole pomegranates and we deseed them while the chicken cooks. This is a super simple process and could be a fun way for your kids to get involved. We use this method where you fill a large bowl of water then cut the pomegranate in half. Put it in the bowl then remove the seeds under the water. You just pull them away from the flesh and let them sink to the bottom of the bowl. The flesh will rise to the top and it is then easy to scoop out with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. You can also try this method of tapping it with a wooden spoon. It looks like it uses less dishes but we have not tried this method. If you do this and it works let us know in the comments!
Happy Cooking!
Pomegranate Balsamic Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream can sub coconut cream
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 3-4 cups arugula
- couscous or mashed potatoes for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add 1-2 TBSP avocado oil. Meanwhile, combine thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and then sprinkle roughly half the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken. Reserve the remaining seasoning.
- Add the chicken to the preheated skillet and cook for 6-8 minutes per side or until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate
- Add butter to skillet and let melt. Add remaining seasoning and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add broth, vinegar, and roughly 1/3 of the pomegranate seeds to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half
- Stir in the cream, arugula, and remaining pomegranate seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken back to the skillet and nestle into the sauce
- We like to serve this dish with couscous but to make it gluten and grain free you can serve this over mashed potatoes.
- Enjoy!
