Chicken and Balsamic Baked Peaches

This chicken sheet pan dinner with baked fresh peaches tossed in a honey balsamic sauce is so simple, but so tasty. Serve over fresh arugula and goat cheese for a complete dinner.

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A white dinner plate with chicken and balsamic baked peaches with more on a serving plate near by.

Easy Sheet Pan Dinner

There is something so easy and peaceful about making a sheet pan dinner, and this chicken with balsamic baked peaches is no exception. Everything bakes on one pan, making clean up easy and keeping the kitchen relatively tidy too. Start this sheet pan dinner with just the chicken, seasoned well with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little dried thyme. I like to use a whole chicken cut into pieces so that there is a mix of white and dark meat to please everyone. You can read all about how to cut up a whole chicken in this cooking lesson

A bowl of peaches and shallots on a cutting board with fresh herbs and a bowl of balsamic vinegar.

Baking Fresh Peaches

The peaches and shallots really give this dinner a summertime flavor. Fresh peaches are a joy to work with and their sweet flavor is intensified in the oven. For this recipe, freestone peaches are much easier to work with. Check out this quick lesson all about peaches to learn more about how to select a peach and the difference between freestone and clingstone peaches. Toss the peaches and shallots in the balsamic vinegar and honey mixture and add them to the chicken after twenty minutes, tucking fresh thyme and rosemary in at the same time. Bake for another 15 minutes. 

A sheet pan dinner with a green towel.

Broiling at the End

Once the chicken has cooked through, the peaches will be soft and delicious and the shallots will have just a little bite left to them. Pop the whole pan under the broiler for a minute or two to color the chicken pieces. Don’t walk away – the balsamic-honey jus can burn easily.

A hand spooning juice over chicken on a white platter.

Don’t Forget the Jus

Speaking of that jus, don’t throw it out! It’s delicious poured over the chicken, peaches and shallots and is just enough to moisten the entire dish with arugula and goat cheese tossed in.

A white dinner plate with chicken and balsamic baked peaches with more on a serving plate near by.

What to Serve Alongside

On a warm summer night, you really don’t need anything to go with this easy one pan meal, but I happened to have a few yellow beans in the garden and they made a nice addition to the plate just simply boiled and salted. I’ll also let you in on a little secret – the leftovers can be made into a delicious chicken salad. Chop up the chicken, roasted shallots and peaches and mix with a little mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Delicious again!

Featured Recipe Techniques

More about the skills used in this recipe.

Cooking School
How to Cut up a Whole Chicken

Breaking down a whole chicken is a great skill to have because it allows you to customize how you want...View Technique

All About Peaches

Peaches are such a delicious summer stone fruit. Here's all you need to know about when they are in season,...View Technique

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Chicken and Balsamic Baked Peaches

  • Prep Time: 15 m
  • Cook Time: 40 m
  • Total Time: 55 m
  • Servings:
    4

Ingredients

  • 4 ½ pounds chicken pieces bone-in, skin on, breasts, thighs or legs (4 to 8 pieces)
  • olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon honey
  • 2 shallots cut into thin wedges
  • 2 peaches pitted and cut into 8 wedges
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 5 ounces baby arugula (about 8 cups)
  • juice ½ lemon
  • 2 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil and season all sides generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and dried thyme. Place them on a sheet pan and transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
  3. While the chicken is baking, whisk the balsamic vinegar and honey together in a large bowl. Add the peaches and shallots and toss to coat.
  4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the peach and shallot mixture to the chicken, spreading the peaches and shallots around the chicken pieces and pouring the liquid over the chicken. Tear up the rosemary and thyme sprigs and nestle them around the peaches. Return the sheet pan to the oven to bake for 15 minutes, tossing once about halfway through.
  5. After 15 minutes of baking at 375ºF, turn the oven setting to broil and broil for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp the skin on the chicken – watch carefully because it will brown easily. Remove the pan from the oven.
  6. Toss the arugula with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper and scatter it across a serving platter. Place the chicken pieces on the bed of arugula and spoon the peaches and shallots around. Crumble the goat cheese on top and drizzle the juices from the sheet pan over the chicken. Serve immediately.
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Comments (13)Post a Reply

  1. 5 stars
    Made this with pork steaks and it was sooo good that I made it again a few days later for company. BIG HIT!!♥️

    1. I would use a hearty green such as fresh spinach or kale if you don’t like arugula. I like to use soft cheese with this recipe, feta, brie or Burrata would work. A little shaved parmesan would also go nicely.

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe was great tasting and so easy to make. I had almost stopped making new recipes because they didn’t turn out very well. This was a very tasty and enjoyable meal.

  3. 5 stars
    This is the 2nd time I made the and it is soooo good and healthy for you! Thanks for posting it.

    1. Hi Adele, I would not recommend freezing this because the texture of the peaches will not defrost well, but in a pinch you can do so.

  4. 5 stars
    WOW! This was an easy recipe and it just bursted with flavor. I didn’t have shallots so I substituted a red onion. I would add more peaches as well. Just love all your recipes Meredith! This one is a good way to use peaches in the summer!

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