Perfect Honey Mustard Chicken Breast

Honey mustard chicken is one of those dishes that is quick, easy, and family friendly.  It is flavorful enough to make the most discriminating palate happy while being easy enough to serve for a busy weeknight supper.

You wanna talk versatile? Slice it on the diagonal and put it on top of organic baby herbs for an incredible, quick salad…put it in a tortilla, with some sliced, ripe heirloom tomatoes and you have a wrap.  Serve it with  some deep, black grapes, some artisan bread, and endive with oil and vinager and you have a picnic in the French countryside.  How can you miss?

The truth is, you can’t.  The only trick to a really excellent honey mustard is ….a really excellent mustard and a little balsamic vinegar.  If you use plain yellow, American mustard you will have an insipid, uninspiring lump of chicken.  Something whole grained, with a touch of horseradish is perfect.  Make sure the flavors pop in your mouth…

Here is the deal, and I am probably preaching to the choir here…what you put on the plate is only going to be as good as what you put in the pan.  Spend the time to try different brands…mustard is not expensive…even if you are paying $7 a jar for imported gourmet mustard, it is going to make your food taste amazing…it is going to make your tastebuds cha cha..isn’t it worth it?  You are too important to settle for anything less than the absolute best in food.  The only reason McDonalds and Burger King are still in business is because we settle for stomach filling rather than palate pleasing.

O.k..ahem…sorry…I am having issues with mediocrity right now..I am tired of being surrounded by it when excellence is just a little more effort.

Soooooo..yeah…chicken.

Obviously you can use this on a whole chicken or thighs or whatever you are cooking.  It is also great on chops.

Or you can do what I do and just eat it with a spoon.

Need a menu? Try this:

Honey Mustard Chicken Breast

Spinach and bacon salad with citrus poached pears (just peel your pears and poach them in orange juice, slice over the spinach, make a reduction with the juice and pour over it all)

Baguette

Bostini Cream Pie

Serve it with a good crisp wine, and follow with a darker roast Yirgacheffe coffee if you can find it…perfect.  The citrus and fig in the coffee will play off the rest of the meal to perfection.  I promise.

Honey Mustard Chicken Breast

• 1/4 cup of good mustard
• 2 tablespoons of honey (try a lavender honey)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• A pinch of chipotle
• Chicken breast

Mix the ingredients for the honey mustard and set aside for about an hour if possible.  This will give it a change to blend and the flavors to learn how to cooperate.  Salt and pepper your chicken and brush the glaze on the top.  Bake at 350 until an instant read thermometer registers 160.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  The chicken should be 165 to 170. This should take about 30 minutes.

That’s it!  I made this when I wasn’t feeling well, Shiloh took the pictures…It is just that easy.

image:(c)marye audet