Maple Dijon Chicken

Here’s the ingredients–I know it’s expensive, but pure maple syrup is the best here. You can often find Grade B syrup at a lower cost. Nothing wrong with it; it’s just a bit darker than the Grade A. Perfect for cooking (and on waffles, pancakes, etc. but not as pretty as light amber). I am using chicken leg quarters, cut into a drumstick and a thigh for this recipe. You may also use thighs, drumsticks, or boneless (and skinless if you prefer) thighs. Chicken breast whether quarters or boneless skinless won’t work here. It will be too dry as well as not tasty. You need the stronger-flavored dark meat here to compliment the tangy and robust sauce.

Mix the mustard, maple syrup & vinegar in a bowl. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

If using leg quarters, cut into individual portions as shown.

Spray a heavy stoneware/ceramic pan with cooking spray. We’re dealing with sugars in this sauce and the pan will get very messy. The spray will keep too much sugar from sticking. I could recommend disposable pans here, but they are made of aluminum and the sauce is acidic. Aluminum reacts with acid so do so at your own risk. I won’t take the chance. FYI if using stoneware, you still may have to soak the pan or use some elbow grease to clean it. My solution was to buy a decent stoneware baker on clearance just to make this dish.

Pour sauce in the baking pan, add chicken and turn a few times to coat. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for about 40 min or until internal temperature of chicken is 180 degrees. Bone-in chicken will take longer. Baste with sauce in pan about 1/2 way through the cooking time.

And a little reminder here won’t hurt. Since we are working with raw poultry here, always disinfect all surfaces, even if you don’t think there’s been contact. Why risk salmonella?

Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes. Plate and serve garnished with a sparse sprinkling of finely-chopped rosemary & pan juices. I chose to serve this over rice. Quinoa would work well too.