This recipe came together on the fly, with no time to spare. It was 5 pm. I
had a Hungry Baby who needed to eat by 5:30 before being bathed and in bed by
6:30, when the rest of us would eat.—
Thankfully, I’d made mashed sweet potatoes in the morning. (I’d roasted the
potatoes the night before and mashed them before parking at my desk for the
morning.) There was chicken in the fridge, but no time to let it sit in a
marinade. So I opted for a sweet and sticky glaze that would coat the chicken
with flavor even though it would only marinate for a short time. It worked
perfectly and dinner came together in a snap. Here’s how it all went down:
5:00 — Threw together the marinade & put asparagus in the oven to roast
5:15 — Warmed a small portion of sweet potato mash for the Hungry Baby &
fed him
5:30 — Took asparagus out of the oven
5:45 — Bathed and pj’ed the Hungry (but now full) Baby
6:00 — Put baby down to play with the Hungry Boy while I sauteed chicken and
warmed mashed potatoes for the rest of us
6:20 — Put baby to bed
6:30 — Sat down for dinner
(Phew!)
You can see that the actual prep and cook time is minimal. In fact, if you
roast your potatoes the night before, you can mash them and get asparagus in the
oven in the 15 minutes that you let the chicken marinade. Then, let the
asparagus cook for 15 more minutes while you sauté the chicken and let the
potatoes warm in a pot. That’s a 30-minute countdown. Not bad.
Oh yea. And the chicken? Delicious! It came out sweet and sticky, just like I
wanted, with a tiny bit of bite. This meal may have been throw together, but
it’s a keeper, for sure.
Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken
serves 4
(can be
served to kids 8 mos)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 c maple syrup
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3
Tbsp bourbon, optional*
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely
minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
dash cayenne, add more if your family likes it
spicy
salt and pepper
1 lb chicken thighs, boneless &
skinless
1. Mix together 1 Tbsp oil, syrup, mustard, bourbon,
vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add chicken and allow to
marinate for as long as you can, at least 10 minutes.
2. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan over medium-high
heat. Saute chicken until cooked through, turning over after first 3 or 4
minutes. Pour leftover marinade in the pan for the last 2 minutes of cooking,
allowing it to thicken. Plate chicken and drizzle with pan sauce.
*Note: I feel that enough alcohol burns off during cooking
that I’d serve this to any pregnant woman or child over 12 months. If you have
any concern, here’s a great article that looks at how much alcohol actually burns off
during cooking. You may want to reference it before serving this to kids or
anyone else who doesn’t drink alcohol.
