Balsamic Chicken with Spinach and White Beans

I mentioned a few posts ago that I hadn't been cooking from any cookbooks lately.  Well, I've gotten back to it a little bit.  Things have been really busy with school but guess what, M has only 4 weeks left of his MBA program!  Let me just tell you folks how excited I am for this.  It has been 21 months and I am very ready for him to be done and to start the next phase of our lives.  Even though I am in school too, it isn't quite as demanding as his MBA program.  His being in this program has limited what we were able to do and has taken up a lot of time.  But, the end is near.  Let's celebrate with some chicken.

M loves chicken.  I think I've mentioned that before.  This being the case, expect a lot of chicken recipes here.  This one in particular was super delicious.  It included spinach and white beans.  I love beans.  All kinds of beans.  And, I added bacon.  Need I say more?

Balsamic Chicken with Spinach and White Beans

Adapted from Express Lane Meals by Rachael Ray

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

extra virgin olive oil

garlic powder

salt and pepper

6-8 chicken tenders or 4 boneless chicken breasts

5 slices of bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 14oz can cannellini beans, drained

1 12oz bag of baby spinach

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic vinegar with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder.  Place the chicken in the bowl with the vinegar and oil and coat the chicken.  Set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the bacon.  Cook the bacon until it is crispy.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.  Drain most of bacon fat out of the skillet.  Return the pan to the stove and add a little bit of olive oil.  Add the onions, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.  Cook until the onions are browned, about 4 minutes.  Add the white wine and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat another large skillet over medium high heat.  When hot, add the chicken and cook for about 6 minutes on each side until the chicken is cooked through. 

In the skillet with the veggies and stock, add the beans. Cook for about a minute until the beans are heated through.  Add the cooked bacon.  Discard the bay leaf.  Stir in the spinach and parsley and stir until the spinach is wilted.

Serve the spinach with the chicken.