I picked up a couple of corn fed free range chicken breasts the other day for a quick supper and wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary and a little bit special with them.
The thing I love about chicken breasts is that they are almost a blank canvas that you can use to paint with a multitude of flavours and seasonsings.
I used a mix of grainy mustard, maple, cider vinegar, brown sugar and herbs on this occasion. It tastes and looks special, but is really a very simple bake. You just season the chicken and pop it into a baking dish . . .
The remaining ingredients are whisked together, poured over top. It bakes in the oven for fifteen minutes at a high temperature, and then fifteen minutes at a lower temperture. The end result is perfectly cooked, moist chicken breasts with a delicious sweet and tangy sauce!
This looks like you have slaved for hours over it, but in reality its a real doddle. I would even feed this to company. It truly is finger licking good!
*Sweet Mustard Chicken*Serves 4Printable Recipe Delicious chicken dish which is as simple to make as throwing the sauce ingredients together, pouring them over the chicken and baking them in the oven. Easy peasy lemon squeasy!
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts125g of grainy Dijon mustard (1/2 cup)60ml of Maple syrup (1/4 cup)2 TBS soft light brown sugar2 TBS apple cider vinegar1/4 tsp each, thyme leaves, crumbled sage leaves, parsley flakes, rosemary
salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tin large enough to hold the chicken breasts in one layer with aluminum foil. Don't skip this as you will regret it.
Lay the chicken in the pan. Season with salt and black pepper and sprinkle all of the herbs over top.
Whisk together the mustard, maple syrup and vinegar. Pour this over top of the thighs, lifting them to allow the sauce to also pour underneath.
Roast for 15 minutes. Baste with the pan juices. Reduce the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Return the chicken to the oven and roast a further 15 minutes, until the juices are bubbly and golden brown, and the chicken is glazed and its juices run clear.
Serve hot with some of the pan juices spooned over top. There won't be a lot at that point, but what there is, is quite, quite delicious!
You could also cook thighs or legs with this easy glaze, however they will take a bit longer. I would also cover then for the first part of the cooking process. I would do 20 minutes covered and then 20 - 25 minutes, uncovered, basting every 10 minutes or so at the lower temperature. I served this delicious chicken with steamed basmati rice and peas. Bon Appetit!
