Next Post
The 50 Most Popular Easter Recipes.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken served with charred lemon feta cheese. Marinated chicken baked until glazed in a deliciously tangy, sweet balsamic sauce. Arrange lemon wedges and asparagus around the chicken and bake everything together on the same sheet pan. The balsamic sauce reduces around the chicken, and the asparagus cooks up perfectly with butter melted over top. Serve this chicken and asparagus together over steamy rice or pasta with plenty of charred lemon feta cheese! YUM!
Lately, I’ve been sharing so many recipes that I know my Nonnie would have loved. I can’t help but think about her this time of year. Spring break is approaching, and Easter will soon be here. This is the time of year that we would always spend with my grandparents in South Florida. I have some of the best memories from those times.
Nonnie always made every visit with them so special. Looking back, she must have put in so much work to host our family, but she made it seem effortless.
To maximize our time together, Nonnie would either take everyone out for dinner or make something so simple that it required almost no effort.
On the nights that we ate in, it was either carryout or her “guest” chicken and asparagus dinner. She’d bake the chicken in a store-bought Russian dressing, with roasted asparagus on the side.
Oh, and microwaved rice and fresh crusty bread were always on the menu too!
So you see, this would have been her kind of meal. I know she’d just love the honey balsamic sauce too!
Details to Share
Step 1: season the chicken
Working on a sheet pan, mix the chicken breasts or thighs with balsamic vinegar, honey, shallots, garlic, dried thyme, and dried oregano. Then season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
Arrange the chicken in an even layer across the sheet pan. Then add lemon wedges around the chicken.
Step 2: the asparagus
Now, take a bunch of asparagus and trim away the woody ends. Place the asparagus over the chicken – again, in an even layer, with pats of butter on top.
The butter will melt down over the asparagus and chicken.
Step 3: bake everything
Bake everything until the chicken and asparagus are cooked. Pull the asparagus off the pan and set aside.
Broil the chicken and lemon until the sauce begins to bubble and caramelize around the chicken. Please watch this closely, as the sauce can burn quickly.
Step 4: the charred lemon feta
Take the charred lemon wedges from the sheet pan and finely chop them. Toss the chopped lemon with feta cheese, fresh herbs and toasted nuts/seeds. I love to use cilantro and dill, plus toasted pine nuts.
This mix is so yummy!
Step 5: serve it
Serve the chicken over rice or pasta. Plate the asparagus on the side, then sprinkle the feta cheese over everything.
So delicious you guys! Serve this with buttered bread on the side, just as Nonnie would! It’s perfect for scooping and soaking up all the yummy sauce and flavors on the pan.
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Sheet Pan Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki
Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup
Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Chicken and Feta Potatoes
Lastly, if you make this Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked Honey Balsamic Chicken with Charred Lemon Feta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 329 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 2 tablespoons toasted nuts/seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed herbs, I use dill and cilantro
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.2. On a baking sheet, mix the chicken with the balsamic vinegar, honey, worcestershire, shallots, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Arrange the chicken in an even layer. Arrange the asparagus over the chicken, add slices of butter on top, and season with salt and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the asparagus is cooked. 3. Switch the oven to broil. Remove the asparagus from the pan. Broil the chicken and lemons until the chicken caramelizes, 1-2 minutes. Watch closely, the sauce can burn quickly. 4. Remove the lemons from the sheet pan and finely chop 2 or 3 of the wedges. In a bowl, toss the chopped lemon with the feta, pine nuts, and herbs. 5. Serve the chicken and asparagus over bowls of rice or pasta. Top with lots of feta.
Very Good! Love the ease of the sheet pan recipes. I made it exactly as written and used chicken thighs. Served over rice. Will definitely make it again and again.
Hey Deborah,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Have the best weekend! xT
I followed the directions but somehow my sauce burned up – thick smoke coming out of the oven. I promptly pulled it out. Luckily my chicken didn’t burn, just the sauce. I was able to transfer the chicken to another pan and make more sauce to add on top after it finished cooking. The other commenters didn’t mention this happening to them. Maybe its the oven being at 450?? Not sure. Overall I loved the taste. I didn’t have feta or pine nuts so I replaced with almonds & pumpkin seeds & parmesan cheese. It was a great crunch and flavor contrast with the balsamic chicken. Overall would make again, but not sure how to keep it from burning.
Hi there,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you had issues with the sauce! I would say that really is only a concern when you turn the broiler on. Did you use a baking sheet? Again, my apologies that you had issues with that! xx
I did use a baking sheet like the photo, but I used foil which I am now realizing could have been the reason! I’ll make again and try it without the foil.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was so quick, easy and delicious. Served with jasmine sticky rice. Will definitely make again!
Hey Clara,
Love this! So glad you enjoyed this dish and I appreciate you making it! xT
Giving this recipe 3 stars instead of 5 because we did not follow it exactly and because of some conflicting things in the recipe posted for printing and pictures/description of the recipe on the site. It still tasted great and we would repeat it as we made it- but it is really annoying that a printed recipe is missing information and we had to revert back to reading the entire post to find the information we needed to cook it while we were cooking it.
ie:
doesn’t mention in the recipe for print when to add lemons to the pan.
recipe for print says to chop the shallots, which we did, but in the blog post we noticed the photos show them as almost quartered.
Hi Kristal,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry for any confusion here. The lemons are added to the pan with the butter in step 2. Chopped shallots or quartered shallots both work in this recipe:) Again, my apologies! xx
I cubed some sweet potatoes and added them to the sheet pan seasoned with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper but they also got into the pan sauce and they were excellent on the side instead of rice or pasta! The nuts I used were cashew and it was an excellent quick and easy dinner!
Hey Jen,
Yum!! Great idea to add sweet potatoes here:) Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback! xT
I made this tonight and it was so delicious!!! Easy to put together and absolutely delicious!
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
This was beyond delicious!!!!! Siper juicy, full of flavor with the perfect amount of tanginess.. Thanks so much!!
Hi Patricia,
Happy Tuesday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) xT
This was SO flavorful! Loved the fresh herbs and lemon with feta. Will definitely be making this again.
Hey Rebecca,
Wonderful!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
I’m not sure where I’m supposed to add the lemon, it’s not going into the oven in step 2, but step 3 said to broil chicken and lemons. For me, 1-2 mins was not long enough to get a charred lemon, so I think it’s supposed to be added in step 2. I’d also recommend using a baking pan instead of a sheet, as the sauces and juices nearly spilled off the sides with the adding and removing from the oven.
Other than that, I agree with another commenter that the dill and cilantro didn’t really work for me, and the chicken juices watered down the sauce. I might try mixing with some cornstarch and cooking a little longer, but probably won’t be making this again.
Hey Emily,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed. The lemon goes on top of the chicken and asparagus with the butter in step 2. Sorry for any confusion on that piece! xx
My husband and I are trying a new meal each week to shake up our boring routine. So glad I came across this recipe! Such a yummy and fresh dish. I was not expecting the flavors and everything paired so well. Thank you!!
Hey Jillian,
That is so awesome! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this dish, thanks a lot for making it! xT
This was a great weeknight meal!!! The feta and dill gave it a YUMMY Mediterranean feel:)) I’ll be making this one again!!!
Hey Kellie,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
I nuked frozen broccoli instead, as DH doesn’t care for asparagus. Used basil and some sad old cilantro, toasted pecans instead of pricey pine nuts, and that feta topping is still the star! Served with a rice/wild rice mix. Forgot to add W’shire, didn’t miss it — mixed the marinade in a big bowl and let chicken sit for about 30 minutes before baking. Next time, I’ll only roast 1/2 lemon as that was plenty for us.
Thanks a lot, Sydnie!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for your comment! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Xx
This dish was too sweet, even putting the least amount of honey. The flavors of dill and cilantro with the sweet don’t totally meld together. The juices from the chicken water down the balsamic. It would have been better to reduce the sauce and have more of it to drizzle into the rice.
Hi Becky,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was too sweet for you. xx
This is amazing! Next time i will double the sauce. Fsntastic!
Hey Coleen,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT
This was a hit! The star of the show was the pine nut, lemon, feta, herby mixture – it stood out against the sweet balsamic flavor and we were so wowed! I roasted fennel instead of asparagus and it added another unexpected flavor to the mix. I served it over kale and didn’t even need to add dressing. We are definitely adding this to our rotation.
Hey Lindsay,
Happy Sunday!! I am so glad to hear that this dish turned out nicely for you! Great idea to use fennel:) Thanks for the comment! xT