This week I'm focusing on maple syrup. Now that I've made an appetizer, it's time for a main dish.Whisk Wednesdays is taking a "Spring Break" this week.
We'll be back next week with Cailles à la Normande (Quail with Cream and Apples).
Last week, I asked the foodies on Twitter for some of their favorite recipes that use maple syrup. I received several links to recipes and have made some of them. This recipe for maple and black pepper chicken was sent to me by @AndreasRecipes. And just for fun, here are some pretty maple syrup dispensers I found online:
honeycomb-shaped glass dispenser
microwaveable and color ful dispenser
diner-style dispenser (which is like mine)
microwaveable dispenser
diner-style dispenser (which is like mine)
microwaveable dispenser
Recipe
from Andrea of Andrea's Recipes who found the recipe in Cooking With Shelburne Farms
Serves 4-6
(or 3 or 4 chicken breasts, with skin and bones)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Sauce:
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
1½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Pat the chicken dry and season with kosher salt. In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down, and cook until crispy and lightly golden, about 7-9 minutes. Brown each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place them in a casserole dish. Roast the chicken in the oven uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until the juices run clear. Temperature should be about 165˚F for the breasts and 175˚F for the thighs and legs.
While the chicken roasts, make the sauce. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings. On medium-high heat, sauté the shallots, thyme and kosher salt for about 1-2 minutes, until the shallots just start to show some color.
Add the cider vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the maple syrup and the crushed peppercorns and reduce the sauce by half, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Tasting Notes
Boiling vinegar is not a pleasant smell, so while I was making the sauce I wasn't sure I would like the end result. But I was surprised. After it reduced, the sauce mellowed. The sweetness from the maple syrup cut the acidity of the vinegar and the pepper gave it a nice bite. Altogether it was delicious, and I spooned some extra sauce on my piece of chicken.
Other Maple Syrup Chicken Ideas
• Closet Cooking: Maple and Mustard Glazed Chicken
• Noble Pig: Maple and Mustard Glazed Chicken
More About Maple Syrup
• The process from sap to syrup from The District Domestic
• Answers to Commonly Asked Questions and References
26 comments:
ok, i love this idea. sticky and sweet but savory. i think i'd add just a touch of pepperoncino to kick the spice factor up a bit. but this is a really beautiful and different dish!
Oh yeah...that would be good. That top maple syrup dispenser, the honeycomb one, how would you set it down I wonder?
This sounds so good. Love maple!
Just the name make my mouth water! i'll have to try this one.
Ooh, I bet it was nice and sticky. Will we see bacon and maple syrup in our near future? :-)
This looks delicious! And I've always wanted to try maple sugar.
Yay, your chicken and sauce turned out great! I'm so glad you liked it. This chicken is one of our favorites.
Again, looks delicious!
I have to say, I was skeptical, yes, I was...not sure if I would like mixing up sweet with the savory...but as I read through the post, imagined the ingredients and how they would/could work together, I became more and more convinced that I should maybe try this recipe...I think I will do just that to prove to myself that you can mix savory and sweet...I will learn something new either way. Great photo...I wish we could eat teh photos! LOL!
I love the syrup bottles, so many fun ones!! Another great maple recipe!
This maple chicken looks delicious! Maple adds such a rich and wonderful flavor to everything. I love it in sweet and savory!! Plus, those syrup dispensers are quite precious!!
Not only does the sauce sound delicious, but it gives the dish a gorgeous color as well. Love that!
Thanks for the link! That is so cool!
Love this idea! I've had maple-glazed turkey before, and it's always fabulous, so why not chicken? Yum!
This sounds wonderful and I can't wait to try it. My favourite recipe with Maple ayrup is the Polenta covered with MapleSyrup/Balsamic vinigar, shallots and mushrooms. This is a bit similar..... Thanks for the wonderful blog Shari
Wow, that looks really, really good! I wish I had the ingredients in hand for dinner tonight.
I have that Shelburne cookbook and I have a sticky note on that recipe! Looks great!
Oh, that looks soooo good. I've never seen 'solid' maple before. That would be fun to bake with.
What a wonderful combination of flavors!
Well maple, black pepper and chicken seem like a fine combo. And wouldn't it be nice to do the recipe with a little maple sugar?
This sounds like a wonderful combination! I tried chicken and sweet potatoes roasted with maple syrup, which was wonderful.
This recipe sounds incredible! I bet the flavor combo is amazing! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
i've had maple and pork, but maple and chicken? what the heck have i been waiting for? great post, shari!
double treat. another delicious recipe, and another chance to win.
herophelia@yahoo.com
Just tried this recipe today, with four bone-in split breasts. Nom! I didn't have the best quality maple syrup, and I had to use dried thyme, but it was still delicious. I also added about a table spoon of chipotle pepper jelly to the sauce as it was reducing. Gave it a good kick, along with the lovely warmth from the peppercorns. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!
good idea...I have never seen good maple before.
http://www.mgleizer.net
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