Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken

Every Fall, I tend to throw myself into a major project. Ben thinks its to fill the void when the kids head back to school. (There may be some truth to that but I'll explore in another post on another day.) This year, I tackled some home improvement projects that were well beyond my capabilities.

I decided that the back deck needed to be restained, which meant that we had to do some pressure washing first. We literally went through 3 pressure washers and when we finally got one to work - it may (or may not) have taken a couple of pieces of siding right off the house. (oops)  Those needed to be replaced of course and that was no easy task. We also ended up tearing a screen or two transferring furniture from one side of the porch to the other during the staining process which created yet another project. (You see where I'm going with this?) All I wanted to do was stain the deck.

I also tackled some big yard projects this Fall. I started out with a simple plan to move a few small plants that had outgrown their current space. Simple enough right? My well laid out plan was not as easy to execute as I had hoped. (Who knew that bushes that had been in the ground for 8 years, would be so hard to move?) I had to enlist the help of every some apprehensive family members to get the job done. (And they didn't even complain about having to move the giant prickly holly - too much.)






  
We spent some long days working in the yard which made all of us REALLY hungry. Too bad that I didn't have a lot of time for dinner prep because I was spending all of my time outside. Grilled chicken to the rescue. This recipe came out of my Cook's Illustrated magazine and unlike some of their recipes, it was quick and simple. I would highly recommend it - even if you're not working in your yard all day.

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Glaze
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds






For sauce, combine vinegar and cornstarch in saucepan.






Whisk in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir 1 minute until thickened.





Dissolve salt and sugar in 1 1/2 quarts cold water.  Submerge chicken in brine, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove chicken from brine, pat dry with paper towels.
Combine milk powder and pepper.  Sprinkle half over chicken and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Place chicken on grill and cook 5 minutes on each side.

Brush chicken with glaze and continue to cook until temperature reaches 165 degrees.

 




So there you have it - a delicious (and quick) meal.  Great for a busy weeknight or a weekend meal when I'm just too darn tired to cook and elaborate dinner.  Enjoy.

Ciao!