Are you a fan of spicy, tangy and sweet all wrapped up together? The tangy and sweet flavor combo of this maple-mustard sauce will have you licking the plate! This recipe, adapted from Cooking Light gets so much flavor from these low fat ingredients that you will swear that you should be feeling guilty. But don't!
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Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (mine came 3 to a pack)
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp stone-ground Creole mustard
* some red pepper flakes would be great in here too!
** this recipe would also be great using center cut pork loin chops!
Step-by-Step:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a large black iron skillet (or heavy, ovenproof skillet) over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken liberally with cracked black pepper and kosher salt.
Add chicken to pan and saute for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. The meat should release easily from the pan when ready.
Add chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Then add syrup, thyme, and garlic to the pan. Bring this all to a boil, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the skillet. Cook 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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| chicken broth |
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| maple syrup |
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| thyme leaves |
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| garlic slices |
Note: These garlic slices are cut large enough to be removed by your picky eaters... and given to the other ones who just LOVE the flavor of the sweet, roasted garlic. At the end, the garlic is soft and buttery!
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| apple cider vinegar |
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| stone ground Creole mustard |
Return the chicken to the sauce and spoon the maple-mustard glaze over the breasts.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F until internal thermometer reads 160 degrees (about 11 minutes).
Remove chicken from the pan and let them sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the pan back over medium heat and cook the maple-mustard sauce another 2 minutes or until it is syrupy, stirring frequently.
Serve the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
Written Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large black iron skillet (or heavy, ovenproof skillet) over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken liberally with cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Add chicken to pan and saute for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. The meat should release easily from the pan when ready. Remove the chicken from the pan.
Add chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Then add syrup, thyme, and garlic to the pan. Bring this all to a boil, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the skillet. Cook 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard to the sauce. Cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
Return the chicken to the sauce and spoon the maple-mustard glaze over the breasts. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F until internal thermometer reads 160 degrees (about 11 minutes). Remove chicken from the pan and let them sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the pan back over medium heat and cook the maple-mustard sauce another 2 minutes or until it is syrupy, stirring frequently. Serve the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
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