Gourmet Chicken, or Chicken with Balsamic reduction

My brother named this "Gourmet Chicken," and I can still remember the night it happened.  My parents were out of the country on a trip, so my my then teenage brother and I were home to fend for ourselves.  We came up with this variation on simple pan-fried chicken just playing around with ingredients.  And it came out really tasty!

Over the years, it's become a staple for dinner at my house because it's just so simple to make.  For those days when you don't feel like cooking, but still want that homemade goodness?  Gourmet chicken it is!  I've also simplified it over time, for efficiency's sake, though sometimes I'll add fresh Italian herbs or white wine for extra flavor.

Babygirl loves this chicken, and will munch on it happily.  My main concern with this meal is the lack of vegetables integrated into the dish.  We usually end up eating it with a side of steamed frozen veggies, if even that.  But really, we aren't fans of stand alone vegetable, too bland tasting.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces.  (with fats removed) 
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar*
• 2 cups rice
• salt/pepper

Directions

1. Cook rice and set aside.  We use a rice cooker, so this step is a non-issue, but you can follow any process you prefer.**
2. On a medium/large pan, preheat olive oil and cook onions and garlic until onions look clear.  You can use more or less oil, as needed, but we've found that you need some olive oil to get the best taste from the onions.  Heart healthy cooking doesn't mean fat free, just low fat, so some oil is good.
3. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Stir.
4. Once the chicken is browned and cooked all the way, add balsamic vinegar to pan.  Stir chicken and the balsamic with naturally reduce.  Do this for about 5-10 minutes, adding balsamic vinegar slowly until the chicken is coated in it.
5. Optional: After taking the chicken and onions out of the pan, you can put the rice on it and soak the leftover oil/balsamic reduction.  This "dirty" rice comes out de-li-cious.

* I'm not actually sure how much balsamic vinegar goes on this, as I've always eyeballed it.  However, I tend to be pretty liberal with the balsamic, as it reduces to a delicious consistency.
** I strongly prefer the taste of white rice, but that's just me.  Brown rice is healthier