Contrary to popular belief, not all Italian food is a mountain of carbs and meat covered in cheese. In the South of Italy, meals are often light and feature tangy flavors and plenty of good fats. This lemon balsamic chicken recipe draws inspiration from that region with fresh flavors that are perfect for a summer, ketogenic diet meal. This versatile pressure cooker recipe packs nutrient dense lemon rind and delicious balsamic vinegar. The zesty shredded chicken is perfect over zoodles, too! Buon appetito!
Balsamic Vinegar
Just because this recipe doesn’t call for this ingredient in high amounts doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. Not only does its rich flavor complement many dishes, it offers us many health benefits as well.
Balsamic vinegar is a condiment made from crushed, fermented and aged grapes and is most commonly used as a dressing, dipping sauce, and marinade. The flavor is sure to please the palate, but our digestive system is often pleased by its nutrition, too. The vinegar boosts pepsin activity, which enables the breakdown of protein into smaller amino acids that can be more easily absorbed by the body therefore improving the body’s metabolism. Balsamic vinegar can also improve insulin sensitivity for diabetics by allowing for an easier regulation of blood sugar and reducing unpleasant side effects from diabetes.
Check out these additional benefits:
- Improves immunity
- Promotes bone health
- High in cancer-fighting antioxidants
- Natural appetite suppressant
- Reduces the severity and frequency of headaches
- Contains enzymes for digestive disorders and poor metabolism
- Contains minerals to prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis
- Lowers high blood pressure and high cholesterol
Did You Know?
Many commercial vinegars will add sugar, corn syrup, and/or artificial flavorings and coloring. Just like with any products you buy at the store, make sure to check the labels on the bottles of balsamic vinegar. Picking good balsamic vinegar is similar to the process of picking good wine. The taste of both intensifies the longer they are aged, and depending on which way you plan to use balsamic vinegar in your dishes, the method in which it is made is very important. If you’re curious about the traditional methods to making balsamic vinegar, check here.
Lemon Balsamic Chicken
No, not all Italian food is a mountain of carbs. Today’s lemon balsamic chicken recipe draws inspiration from the South of Italy with its fresh flavor and good fats.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
- 3 tbsp. pastured butter
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 2 tbsp. minced lemon rind
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp dried Italian herb blend
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1.5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 5 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
- Heat your electric pressure cooker on sauté mode. Add in 2 tbsp. of butter.
- While it melts, peel and slice your onion. Go ahead and prep your lemon rind and your cabbage, too!
- Add the onion, cabbage and lemon to the pressure. Sauté, stirring often until tender.
- Add in the chicken thighs, seasonings and bay leaves. Stir well and cook, browning the chicken for a 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the vinegar. Cancel the sauté function. Close the lid, select pressure cook. Set it to poultry or high for 20 minutes.
- Once it has finished, let the pressure releases naturally. Open the lid, stir the chicken to shred. Mix in the last tablespoon of butter.
- Spoon this delicious saucy chicken all over your zoodles, drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil! Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories: 325
- Fat: 17.8
- Carbohydrates: 6.9
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 29
Keywords: lemon balsamic chicken
Where is the recipe? It’s blank.
Hello Jerry! Actual recipes are now back up. Try it out and let us know how it turns out! 🙂
What am I to do with the 5 Tbsp olive oil at the end?
Hi Erin, the olive oil is used to finish the dish. So you can drizzle it over the entire dish at the end.
How to cook this if I don’t own a pressure cooker? Can it be done on the stovetop?
Hi Cynthia. Make stove top, braise in a pot with a tight fitting lid.
crockpot attempt #1
serving size?
This yields 6 servings cooked.