Mustard & Maple Glazed Chicken

Found a great recipe over on Cooking Light's website.  I loved the concept so I decided to give it my own spin.  Plus it gave me a chance to break out the cast iron skillet again!  Some food doesn't photograph all that well (this recipe being one of them) but don't let it fool you.  It was delicious.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• 3/4c chicken broth
• 1/4c maple syrup (get the good real stuff)
• italian seasoning, salt, pepper
• 4 sliced garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp spicy mustard
• optional: 1/4c potato flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the oil on medium high in an oven-safe skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and italian seasoning and cook 4 minutes per side in the oil.  Remove from the pan.
3. Add the broth, syrup, garlic, vinegars and mustard to the skillet.  Cook 3 minutes.  Add the chicken back and coat all sides in the broth mixture.  Cook 5 minutes and then transfer to the oven.
4. Cook in the oven for an additional 20 or so minutes, until the chicken is well done.
5. The sauce should thicken nicely and be almost a glaze-like consistency.  If it's a little too thin/watery, add 1/4c of potato flakes after you remove the chicken from the skillet and heat it back on the stove top for another 3 minutes.  Serve the sauce over the chicken.

You will likely get varying results on the chicken cooking time and the sauce consistency depending on which type of skillet/cookware you use.  For best results, use a cast iron or other oven-safe skillet rather than a baking dish.