Chicken Agrodolce

Agrodolce means bittersweet in Italian.  Honey lends sweetness to the bitter tang of balsamic vinegar.  The taste is complex, but the dish is simple to make.  
This is NOT traditional Agrodolce (which has raisins and olives) but my very American take on the dish.

Servings: 4-6

Time:    Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 15 Minutes

Hardware:  measuring spoons, a cutting board and knives, a gallon Ziploc bag, a heavy bottom skillet (I prefer a cast iron skillet), a wooden spoon,  tongs, a plate, tinfoil, a whisk (I use a flat whisk)

Sticky, sweet, tangy goodness

 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons very hot liquid (water or chicken stock)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (maybe more)
• 1 lb chicken breast sliced very thin and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• S&P to taste

1. Mix the hot liquid (I use chicken stock), vinegar, and honey together.  Stir until the honey is melted.  Set aside.
2. Place the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, thyme, and garlic salt in the Ziploc.  Shake like crazy to mix.  Put the chicken in the bag and shake it.  Make sure all the chicken pieces are coated.  Set aside.
3. Loosely tent the plate with foil.
4. Heat the olive oil in the pan on medium high.
5. Shake as much flour from the chicken as possible and add it to the pan a few pieces at a time.  Don’t crowd the chicken.  You may need to cook it in batches.  If you cut the chicken thin enough it should only need to cook for 2- 2 ½ minutes per side.  Turn the chicken with the tongs.  Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and keep it warm in the tinfoil tent as you add more pieces.
6. You may need to add a little more olive oil if the pan becomes dry.
7. Turn the pan down to medium and add the liquids.  Use the whisk to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 3 minutes.  Using the whisk, stir often, scrapping the bottom and sides of the pan as you do.
8. Add the chicken to the sauce and cook for another minute or so until everything is warmed through and the chicken is coated.
9. S&P to taste

Serve right away.  This goes great with rice.