Balsamic vinegar is a wonderful condiment to have in the kitchen. Its mild acidic and sweet flavor is great in vinaigrette dressings, and only a few drops of it on Mozzarella cheese, or strawberries, are enough to elevate their flavor to new levels. Marinating meats in Balsamic vinegar adds deep flavors and color, and the dish I have here is a good example for it. If you’re into bold flavors and aroma, you’ll love this dish.
Notes:
* As much as this is a simple dish, it is important to remember that the dish is only as good as the Balsamic vinegar you’re using. That doesn’t mean only aged and expensive vinegar should be used; these are best kept for when one needs only a drop to enhance flavors. However, I do urge you to make the effort and use a medium level Balsamic vinegar from Modena, which was aged in wood barrels even for the shortest time. The difference in flavor and color is huge.
* Date syrup is available in many health stores or online. Its deep color and unique sweetness beautifully complement the Balsamic vinegar. It is available in gourmet stores, or online. If you can’t find it, honey or maple syrup can be used instead.
* Pomegranate molasses is concentrated cooked pomegranate juice. It is available in gourmet stores, or online.
Makes: 2-4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
Roasting time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
¼ cup good quality Balsamic vinegar
¼ cup Date syrup (see notes)
1 Tbs aged Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs Balsamic-fig glaze (or honey)
1 Tbs pomegranate molasses
1 Tbs salt
½ freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne
For the chicken:
2 medium size chicken legs, separated
1 medium onion
3 medium carrots
2 Tbs olive oil
1. In a medium bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients and keep at room temperature.
2. Pat dry the chicken. Peel the onion and slice lengthwise. Add the chicken and onion to the marinade bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 2 hours, mixing occasionally.
3. Peel the carrots, cut into quarters and add to the chicken bowl. Mix well and transfer into a baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil on top . Keep at room temperature for 15 minutes before roasting.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F (205C). Roast for 1 hour (basting occasionally in the first half hour), until the chicken is deep brown in color and the carrots and onions caramelize.
* This version has about 25 seedless mini peppers instead of the carrots.
I was just thinking about a way to serve caramelized carrots today! Thanks for the push! ;->
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Glad to be of help!
I hope you’ll enjoy the results. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. Whatsfordinnerdoc.com
I was thinking the same thing as Judie. I have some multi colored carrots that would be great with a balsamic graze. Stay tuned.
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Hi Tracey,
I use a lot of citrus in my cooking and baking, so your citrus salmon Caesar recipe caught my eye!
I hope you’ll enjoy the Balsamic vinegar addition to the carrots. I loved the results.
looking forward to seeing more of your posts. 🙂
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What a gorgeous recipe.
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Thank you!
An added bonus is that it is so easy to make. 🙂
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Looks wonderful, Ronit! I agree, balsamic vinegar is a necessity in the pantry.
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Thank you Ian! The more I dig into Balsamic vinegars, the more I like them. By now I have a collection! 🙂
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Ronit, this looks like an interesting recipe. Lots of different flavors going on here! I like to cook chicken different ways and this seems to be one I should try!
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Thank you Indu! I hope you’ll enjoy the dish and will be happy to hear about the results. 🙂
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Interesting recipe Ronit 🙂
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Thank you Amal! 🙂
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I can just imagine the taste of this. Have never seen date syrup in this here country of ours but will go look.
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I was very happy with the results and hope you will too. 🙂
Date syrup is becoming a hit in natural food stores, maybe you’ll find it there. If not, you can substitute with honey or maple syrup.
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Thank you. Will go have a look.
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Hi Ronit, I’am happy to stop by here and see your amazing chicken!
I don’t have date syrup, maybe I can replace it by maple syrup?
Thank you so much
Chantal
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Thank you Chantal for stopping by and your nice comment. 🙂
Yes, you can substitute the date syrup with maple syrup or honey. The chicken may not get as dark color as in the photo, but the flavor will be almost similar. I hope you’ll enjoy the results and will be happy to hear about it. 🙂
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I don’t know how I missed this over the weekend – it looks fabulous! Wow, beautiful colors 🙂 I love the flavor balsamic adds to so many dishes, especially the savory ones. This appears to be another must try tasty eat!
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Thank you Nancy!
It’s really not easy to keep track of all the posts. I’m still amazed how many great ideas and recipes keep coming… 🙂
I really liked the results with this recipe. Already made it again with mini-peppers, which was quite good – though I still preferred the carrots!
I’m thinking of making it again in a few weeks with fennel… We’ll see how that goes. 🙂
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This is a wonderful dish, Ronit. Love the flavor that the chicken gives the vegetables as they all roast together, not to mention the use of balsamic here. When it comes to balsamic vinegars, it really is worth the effort to buy and taste a few to find the best one in your price range. The difference in taste can be surprising.
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Thank you John! I’m glad you liked the dish. 🙂
Roasting the chicken with the vegetables together imparts a special flavor that I too love. It’s a method I use a lot.
You are so right about the Balsamic vinegars. The are too many fake commercial ones going around with harsh flavors…I hope whoever tries to make this dish will be aware of the differences.
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What an unusual recipe! I never thought of cooking this way! Thank you for this recipe, Ronit! 🙂
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My pleasure, Yana. I’m glad to hear you liked the idea. 🙂
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This recipe appeared in your Banana Cake recipe looking like an advertisement which I nearly ignored.
So pleased I didn’t!
With either carrots or peppers this looks good. I’m pleased I saw a new marinade recipe too as I usually always marinate my meats.
I’m also 8 years behind!!
Thanks Ronit :))
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Thank you Mary, I’m glad you’ve found the recipe interesting. The marinade also works well with chicken wings. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since I’ve started the blog! I do plan on checking the old posts, and maybe redo some of them, but somehow never get to it… 🙂
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