Fig Balsamic Chicken

What's one of your favorite ingredients? A staple ingredient in my pantry is balsamic vinegar. It has such a depth of flavor with sweet, rich notes while bringing with it a slight tang. Balsamic vinegar is a wonderful ingredient as a marinade and I recently used it to make yet another crockpot dish, this Fig Balsamic Chicken. Fill your kitchen up with the savory aroma of chicken braising in balsamic vinegar and dried figs. It's a great introduction to fall cooking for the season with the help of your crockpot!...

So my crockpot has been working quite a bit in my kitchen these days. This recipe is easy and is also freezer friendly as well. Chicken if browned and added to the crockpot with the remaining ingredients before cooking. For a freezer friendly meal, it's just a matter of assembling the dish and then freezing. When you're ready to cook the meal, defrost and place it in the crockpot!

Fig Balsamic Chicken
recipe adapted from AllRecipes

2 pound chicken thighs or cut up chicken quarters
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I used fig balsamic vinegar)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup dried figs, whole

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the seasoned chicken. Cook chicken just until browned on the outside. Place chicken inside a crockpot.

In the same skillet with a little more oil, sauté the onions and garlic until softened. Add this to the crockpot.

Add the remaining ingredients over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or potatoes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the recipe as directed as above but rather than placing into the crockpot to cook, place everything in a gallon sized freezer storage bag. Squeeze out any air, seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely and place in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or potatoes.