Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Desperation Chicken


I know I'm not the only person who sometimes finds herself staring at the clock at 5 pm and wondering where a whole day went... and what in the world am I going to make for dinner?! Recently, on just such an occasion, I found myself with under an hour to cook something using the only two fresh ingredients I had available at the time: a package of boneless chicken thighs and a pint of organic cherry tomatoes from my weekly CSA produce delivery.  Naturally, I turned to my bff Pinterest....



I don't remember exactly which search words I used, but it was something akin to:  chicken dinner recipe.  fast.  easy.  no time.  forgot dinner again.   help me Jesus.

And where did Pinterest send me?  Straight to Rachel Schultz's "A Household Almanac" blog and her recipe for the "World's Best Chicken."  This maybe should be renamed "World's Best Recipe."  Just my opinion.

It only takes a few simple ingredients available in everyone's kitchen cupboard to whip up a sauce and pour it over your chicken.  Then you sprinkle on some herbs and bake for about 30-40 minutes.  That's it.  The result is tasty, tender, tangy chicken that is not only healthy and delicious, but also looks just beautiful.


For the sauce, mix together

  • 1/2 cup of mustard (I used ordinary yellow hot dog mustard.  Even if your family doesn't like mustard, they will like this.  The transformation is miraculous.  Trust me.)
  • 1/4 cup of maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (or any other mild vinegar you like.  I used my favorite homemade citrus vinegar.)
  • a bit of salt and pepper.



That's it!  Pour it over 4 boneless chicken breasts or a couple pounds of boneless chicken thighs, and sprinkle about a tablespoon of dried herbs (rosemary, thyme, herbs d' Provence, whatever you like) on top. 




Bake this in a 425F oven for 30-40 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees; fully cooked, but still juicy.

The herbs make this look especially pretty when it's all done.




I served this chicken with a quickie tomato and chickpea salad and a 90-second microwaveable organic quinoa and brown rice medley I buy at Costco.  All on the table in about 45 minutes.  My family was wowed by this "desperation dinner," which is now at the top of our dinner favorites rotation.

(And whatever you do, don't throw away the leftover sauce.  Use it to jazz up any recipe that normally calls for chicken broth, like this delicious butternut squash soup.)



World’s Best Chicken
Created by Rachel Schultz and provided by grannyfab.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

Instructions:
3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½ cup yellow mustard
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt and pepper
Dried herbs (thyme or rosemary) to taste

1.    Place thawed chicken in a baking dish.
2.    Mix the mustard, syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken.
3.    Sprinkle herbs on top.
4.    Bake at 425F 30-40 minutes.

22 comments:

  1. Yum! That is really pretty! I'll bet it is nice an juicy and full of flavor too.

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  2. This post is not only hilarious, but I think I might try that recipe tonight... Thanks so much for sharing! Found you via Wednesday Showcase. :)

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  3. Looks amazing! Mustard, who would have thought?

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  4. I never would have put mustard and maple syrup together. Sounds way too easy to pass up though! Thanks for the recipe. Stopping by from Idea Box.

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  5. Sounds delicious - as long as I thawed out the chicken breast! Visiting from Saturday Soiree.

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  6. This sounds so good, I bet my kids would love it, so will have to give a try soon! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend?!

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    1. I hope they do! Come back and let me know how it works out.

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  7. I'm licking my lips right now! Looks so good! Pinned and tweeted. We truly appreciate you taking the time to be a part of our party. Please stop by and party with us again. The party starts Monday at 7 pm and ends on Friday at 7 pm. Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls

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    1. Thank YOU! I love your party. Will see you again soon.

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  8. I just love the sauce for your Desperation Chicken, it looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a wonderful day.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  9. Not only does this sound delicious but I love how easy it is!!! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Share The Wealth Sunday!
    xoxo
    Lisa

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    Replies
    1. SOOO easy! And no fancy, expensive ingredients. I was hoping your party people would like it.

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  10. Sounds perfect for tonight's dinner, thank you

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  11. Alright, I'll admit I'm a bit skeptical of this recipe. The first image didn't even look like chicken...but once I got to the end I see the resemblance, lol. Now that I've read through the entire recipe, I think it sounds fantastic, but I'm not sure I can sell my picky eaters that take up the other 3 seats around the table. I'll give it a try soon, probably with a dijon mustard and some kind of vinegar (I have a lot in my pantry). You've impressed me with your tastes so far, so I'll trust you on this, but I'll let my family be the final judge. I guess if they don't like it, more for me! Thanks for linking up to the Sunshine Life Link Up!

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  12. I am always on the lookout for something easy. Desperation Chicken will be my dinner soon! Even if I'm not desperate!

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