Pin It
There are two food groupings that I've been coming to terms with in my later years. I figure by now I'm a mature adult and should be able to deal with these things.
They're not the groupings you expect. I have accepted the whole vegetables, protein, grains, blah, blah, blah pyramid. I'm even willing to pull bacon into its own category of meat candy. No, my two closet food groupings are more unique.
The first is the I Will Never Admit I Like This Because Everyone Else Hates It group. Cream of Wheat falls smack dab in the middle of that mess. I love Cream of Wheat. My mom made the best when I was a kid; not a lump in sight and dotted with golden raisins. I'm still waiting to find another person that feels the same way about it as I do. See. I hear crickets.
There are other foods in this closet, but they're going to stay put for a while. As I said, I'm still coming to terms with this whole thing.
The second group is the I Will Pretend I Like This Because I'm Supposed To group. Holding court in this category sits white meat. The original white meat. My confession is that I'm not really a fan. Generally, I find it dry and tasteless, especially when compared to its counterpart, the luscious, tender thigh (the leg is great too, but unless your willing to eat it like a kid, it's an awkward piece of meat to cut up).
So, when the cover of Cooking Light touts that the inside contains no less than 25 healthy chicken dinners, you can imagine the small grimace as I saw page after page of recipes using skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
Boring.
The Process
Busy people; this one's for you. It was barely 25 minutes from the moment I heated the oven to when I put the skillet on the table. I'm liking these kinds of meals.
While the oven is heating, brown chicken in a skillet (oven-proof...remember, you're heating it). Remove the chicken and add chicken broth, maple syrup, thyme and garlic. At this point, there's a good chance that a child will wander through the kitchen and tell you it smells like you're making waffles. Just smile and agree that it does smell like that.
Scrape up all the bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet while the liquid comes to a boil, then add vinegar and whole grain-type mustard. You got that? Chicken, maple syrup, vinegar and mustard. I know; it's weird. Keep going though. It's too late to turn back now.
Return the chicken to the skillet, coating it with the weird sauce you've made. The directions say to spoon it over the chicken, but I just swooshed each piece around the skillet until it was covered.
Skillet goes into the oven until the chicken is baked, which only takes about 10 minutes since it's small pieces, they're breasts and the oven's hot.
The directions said to remove the chicken from the skillet when done and to let the sauce simmer down more, but mine was already syrupy straight out of the oven so I didn't bother with the last bit. We just sat down to eat.
The Verdict
Holy-freakin'-cow. This chicken is amazing. There isn't anything even remotely boring about it. That weird chicken/maple syrup/vinegar/mustard combination? Delicious. We were scraping the bottom of the skillet, trying to get every drip of the stuff up that we could.
Normally, I take a couple of quick photos of a dish that we have for dinner 'just in case,' knowing that I'll use the leftovers for another shoot when there's better light. I'm so very glad I had the 'just in case' shot in the camera because there weren't any leftovers of this to dream about eating the next day, let alone photograph. Even Dudette asked for seconds.
It was really, really fantastic. If you love white meat, you'll adore this. If you're a dark meat fan, like me, I promise that you'll be able to eat this and will love it. The flavors are excellent and the way the meat is cooked keeps it moist.
What I'd Do Different Next Time
Not a darn thing.
Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken - print this recipe
from Cooking Light Magazine, January/February 2012
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
Preheat oven to 400°.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan, and spoon mustard mixture over chicken.
Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Place pan over medium heat; cook mustard mixture 2 minutes or until liquid is syrupy, stirring frequently. Serve with chicken.
Subscribe to Cooking Light Magazine.