ROASTED HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN THIGHS

Now that autumn is here and the temperatures are falling, I want to bake all the things!!! My oven has been getting quite a workout lately now that I don’t have to worry about heating up my whole house. My all-time favorite foods are those that are slow roasted or braised in the oven. Things like beef bourguignon, pork shoulder, and prime rib roast. I wish I had time to cook those things everyday, but in my life, that just isn’t feasible. For me, the key to achieving complex flavors without spending all day in the kitchen is caramelization.

I achieved that perfect caramelization in my Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs in less than 1 hour. The key to browning the skin (browning=caramelization) is to heat up your sheet pan and start with the skin side down. Do not use a glass dish!!! It could shatter the second the food hit the hot dish!!!

Another great tip to achieving optimal caramelization is to start with dried ingredients. I patted my chicken dry but I used frozen squash which contains tons of water. As you can see in the pictures, the chicken and the brussel sprouts are nice and browned but the squash has very little browning.

You can use whatever mustard you like. I love the taste and especially the texture of whole grain mustard. Last year I started making my own mustard. It’s so easy and delicious! If you are a whole grain mustard fan, do yourself a favor and make some!

ROASTED HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN THIGHS 1 package Triple S Farms Chicken Thighs 4-5 C. Roasting vegetables 1 Tbs. Oil Salt and pepper, to taste 2 Tbs. Mustard 2 Tbs. Honey Preheat oven to 425°. Place sheet pan in oven while it’s preheating. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil, salt, and pepper to vegetables. When the oven is ready, carefully remove sheet pan and place chicken skin side down onto it. Then place vegetables around chicken. Roast for 20 minutes. In the meantime, mix mustard and honey with a spoon. After the 20 minutes, flip the chicken and stir vegetables. Spoon half the honey mustard over the chicken. Return to oven for 10 minutes. Then, spoon the remaining honey mustard over the chicken and stir vegetables. Return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.