These sticky, slightly fruity, sweet and savory Fig and Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs are easy to prepare. And when garnished with pungent gorgonzola and crunchy walnuts these thighs are even easier to devour! Hi-ya, friends! How goes it?
Is it just me or is this year going incredibly fast already? I thought last year flew by, but as I was looking at the calendar over the weekend, I realized I need to start planning posts for Easter. For real… Easter?! Already?! Gahhh!
I’m starting to develop a fear of sleeping – Hypnophobia. (<– Gotta love google, because I had no idea the medical word for that disorder.)
But for real, I’m starting to fear that I might fall asleep and wake up 10 years older… the way time is flying by anything is possible. I’ve always had FOMO, but now I have hypnophobia on top of that. I need a shrink. Or a dozen cookies so I can eat my feelings. 😉
Anyways, I digress. Sorry for my complete randomness today, I blame it on that lack of sleep. I’ll stop now and cut to the reason you are all here putting up with me. Food. Delicious food at that.
Fig & Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Gorgonzola & Walnuts
These chicken thighs are bomb diggity, my friends. The glaze is sticky, sweet, savory, slightly fruity and seriously scrumptious with delicious undertones of fig and balsamic vinegar.
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are full of flavor – tender, juicy and succulent – but for even more flavor, feel free to use bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. However, if you are one of those people who likes less flavor white meat (ahhh hem – Boy), by all means use chicken breasts.
To finish everything off, and for a little garnishing flare, I sprinkled the glistening, glazed chicken with pungent gorgonzola; crunchy, salty walnuts, and earthy fresh thyme.
The end result? Chicken that is anything (and everything) but boring and bland.
How to make Fig Balsamic Glazed Chicken:
But, not only is this chicken ridiculously delish, it is also a breeze to put together. Simply sauté some shallots and garlic in a pan, add in the remaining glaze ingredients and simmer until thickened. Spoon that saucy delicious glaze over your chicken, bake, garnish and viola.
Winner winner chicken dinner.
I served mine over mashed potatoes, but this would be equally delicious over cauliflower mash, polenta, rice, quinoa or with roasted vegetables or a salad. Shoot, you could just throw this chicken on a plate and call it a day. 😉
Whatever you do, just make this chicken, because I know you guys are going to love it! Until Thursday, internet friends, Cheers – to clucking good chicken. 😉
These sticky, slightly fruity, sweet and savory Fig and Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs are easy to prepare. And when garnished with pungent gorgonzola and crunchy walnuts these thighs are even easier to devour!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8x8’’ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and season with a pinch of salt. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds- 1 minute. Add in fig preserves, honey, balsamic vinegar and sprig of thyme. Increase heat to bring mixture to a boil and immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Fish out thyme sprig and discard.
Meanwhile, pat chicken thighs dry and transfer to prepared baking dish (they should fit snugly). Season generously with salt and pepper.
When fig glaze is reduced, spoon it over the thighs, using the back of a spoon to coat evenly.
Transfer to the oven and bake (basting with the glaze every 10 minutes if needed), until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees F) and juices run clear, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let chicken rest 5 minutes.
To serve, garnish with walnuts, gorgonzola and fresh thyme leaves.
Loved this recipe! Was quick and easy, and it tasted delicious! I only had 10 oz of fig spread, instead of 12 oz of preserves, but it worked very well. I added a smidge more balsamic because my family And myself prefer more of a tang than sweet. Also broiled for 3 min at the end to make the glaze a little sticky and bubbly. Overall- great recipe!
Hi Cheyenne, I’m thrilled you and your family enjoyed this chicken! Your adjustments sound absolutely delicious!!! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by! BTW – I love your name! 😉 All the best, Cheyanne
Hi Elizabeth, I am so thrilled you loved this chicken! Serving it with the Neely’s rice sounds like a delicious combination!! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it went over! I hope you are having a wonderful New Year! Cheers!
Hi Carol, Unfortunately I can not force people to come back and leave a comment here after they make a recipe. However, a few people have in fact made this recipe with great results and left their comments over on Pinterest. You can see their comments on this recipe here – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563018683813627/ I hope you find that helpful! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
May I be the Debbie Downer here? What I would really like to see is actual reviews of people who have TRIED the recipe. That would carry a lot of weight for me to try the recipe or not.
Hi Kay, Unfortunately I can not force people to come back and leave a comment here after they make a recipe. However, a few people have in fact made this recipe with great results and left their comments over on Pinterest. You can see their comments on this recipe here – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563018683813627/ I hope you find that helpful! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
Hi Tess! Honestly, I’ve never tried making the glaze in advance, but I don’t see why you can’t. I would let the glaze sit out at room temperature at least while the oven is pre-heating, if not a little longer. You will just want to remove the chill from the glaze. Thanks so much for stopping by, and let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! 🙂
I made this recipe last night for my family. We all thought they were delicious. Instead of sprinkling gorgonzola over the chicken, I added it to my polenta and served the chicken on the polenta. Total yumminess!
So glad you and your family enjoyed this chicken, Jan!! Using the gorgonzola in polenta sounds like a delicious idea! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it went! Cheers!
These chicken thighs looks SO amazing, girl! This is totally up my alley with that flavor profile. A little sweet, a little salty….YUM! I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy chicken, and this is definitely on my list to make next. I will be sure to share the results! Thanks for this <3 XO
Yes, this year is just flying by! What gives?! Every year goes by faster and faster…. scary 😛 So these glazed chicken thighs are bomb diggity fo sho! They looks so incredibly tender and juicy and that glaze…. oh my, that glaze! I think I could just spoon that directly into my mouth!
HAHAHA! I <3 EVERYTHING about this : "But for real, I’m starting to fear that I might fall asleep and wake up 10 years older… the way time is flying by anything is possible. I’ve always had FOMO, but now I have hypnophobia on top of that. I need a shrink. Or a dozen cookies so I can eat my feelings"! I'm dying here! Though can I sub 6 of the cookies for 6 of these thighs – I mean look at that there fig-honey-balsamic glaze! Oohlala!
Cheyenne says
May 14, 2019 at 7:47 pmLoved this recipe! Was quick and easy, and it tasted delicious! I only had 10 oz of fig spread, instead of 12 oz of preserves, but it worked very well. I added a smidge more balsamic because my family And myself prefer more of a tang than sweet. Also broiled for 3 min at the end to make the glaze a little sticky and bubbly. Overall- great recipe!
Cheyanne says
May 14, 2019 at 8:04 pmHi Cheyenne,
I’m thrilled you and your family enjoyed this chicken! Your adjustments sound absolutely delicious!!! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by! BTW – I love your name! 😉
All the best,
Cheyanne
Elizabeth says
January 3, 2019 at 6:35 pmI made this for dinner tonight and we loved it. Served it with Perfect Rice recipe courtesy of the Neely’s. Definitely on our menu rotation.
Cheyanne Bany says
January 8, 2019 at 10:50 amHi Elizabeth,
I am so thrilled you loved this chicken! Serving it with the Neely’s rice sounds like a delicious combination!! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it went over! I hope you are having a wonderful New Year! Cheers!
Miranda says
December 13, 2018 at 3:47 pmI would have never thought to combine the flavor profile of figs with chicken…. but now I need to. This recipe looks delicious!!
Carol corser says
December 5, 2017 at 12:40 amYes please! ! The experience and thoughts of people who made the recipe is what I was looking for!
Cheyanne Bany says
December 5, 2017 at 1:49 pmHi Carol,
Unfortunately I can not force people to come back and leave a comment here after they make a recipe. However, a few people have in fact made this recipe with great results and left their comments over on Pinterest. You can see their comments on this recipe here – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563018683813627/
I hope you find that helpful! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
kay says
April 27, 2017 at 8:22 pmMay I be the Debbie Downer here? What I would really like to see is actual reviews of people who have TRIED the recipe. That would carry a lot of weight for me to try the recipe or not.
Cheyanne Bany says
December 5, 2017 at 1:51 pmHi Kay,
Unfortunately I can not force people to come back and leave a comment here after they make a recipe. However, a few people have in fact made this recipe with great results and left their comments over on Pinterest. You can see their comments on this recipe here – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/563018683813627/
I hope you find that helpful! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
Tess says
February 21, 2017 at 12:56 pmCan I make the glaze earlier in the day and refrigerate it until I put the chicken in the oven at night?
Cheyanne Bany says
February 21, 2017 at 3:22 pmHi Tess! Honestly, I’ve never tried making the glaze in advance, but I don’t see why you can’t. I would let the glaze sit out at room temperature at least while the oven is pre-heating, if not a little longer. You will just want to remove the chill from the glaze. Thanks so much for stopping by, and let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! 🙂
Jan says
November 8, 2016 at 11:35 amI made this recipe last night for my family. We all thought they were delicious. Instead of sprinkling gorgonzola over the chicken, I added it to my polenta and served the chicken on the polenta. Total yumminess!
Cheyanne Bany says
November 8, 2016 at 11:40 amSo glad you and your family enjoyed this chicken, Jan!! Using the gorgonzola in polenta sounds like a delicious idea! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it went! Cheers!
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four says
March 4, 2016 at 1:15 amThese chicken thighs looks SO amazing, girl! This is totally up my alley with that flavor profile. A little sweet, a little salty….YUM! I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy chicken, and this is definitely on my list to make next. I will be sure to share the results! Thanks for this <3 XO
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
February 24, 2016 at 1:55 pmYes, this year is just flying by! What gives?! Every year goes by faster and faster…. scary 😛 So these glazed chicken thighs are bomb diggity fo sho! They looks so incredibly tender and juicy and that glaze…. oh my, that glaze! I think I could just spoon that directly into my mouth!
[email protected] says
February 24, 2016 at 12:23 pmI so agree with you girl!! It’s already almost March – can you believe it?! And these chicken thighs looks so flavorful!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
February 24, 2016 at 11:57 amHAHAHA!
I <3 EVERYTHING about this : "But for real, I’m starting to fear that I might fall asleep and wake up 10 years older… the way time is flying by anything is possible. I’ve always had FOMO, but now I have hypnophobia on top of that. I need a shrink. Or a dozen cookies so I can eat my feelings"!
I'm dying here!
Though can I sub 6 of the cookies for 6 of these thighs – I mean look at that there fig-honey-balsamic glaze! Oohlala!
[email protected] says
February 24, 2016 at 9:24 amI feel like this was created for me. I love every one of these ingredients. Looks beautiful!! On my list for dinner next week Thanks.