Honey-Dijon Glazed Chicken During Leaps Of Faith

There are windows of time in life when taking a leap of faith is required, when taking a running jump off of the edge into the water below is necessary, in order to make way for positive, new opportunities. However, if one stands too long at the edge peering down, wonderments and doubts begin to flood the imaginative mind and then those pesky little butterflies start to flutter around in the stomach, frantically looking for what seems like an escape. That can be paralyzing—yikes! Taking a leap of faith is uncomfortable, and God knows, humans aren’t exactly partial to being uncomfortable; but it’s what’s required sometimes in order to keep life moving in the direction of betterment. 

Making a change in a work situation during times like we live in is a little unnerving; I’m sure some of you can relate. My husband is presently in the process of venturing out on his own more in his career and moving away from full-time “employee” status in order to build his own clientele and small business. This naturally requires some shifting around of his current schedule at work, along with making some well-informed and thought-out moves. It reminds me a little of a strategic game of chess. Our conversations at the dinner table lately have been wonderfully unifying and open as we try to navigate our options, and we’ve come to realize that in moments of change and uncertainty, there is no better thing to lean on than our faith. Windows of opportunity come, and deciding to follow the urge to step through without knowing for certain what is on the other side can be a bit anxiety inducing, but the two of us have decided to step through together. Now, an uncomplicated meal is our friend; it’s simplicity is appreciated when there are other things needing attention, and I can’t think of anything less complicated than a chicken breast and some savory roasted potatoes with a few delicious flourishes added. Perfect during leaps of faith.

Promptings come that must be acknowledged and followed, and things that need to be revealed will be revealed, in due time. My husband and I feel enthusiastic and excited about our prospects and what the future holds for the both of us; and though I haven’t known life to ever provide a one hundred percent guarantee about anything, that’s what makes it the wonderful adventure that it is. Sometimes leaping out in faith into the deep end, butterflies and all, is the best thing; staying connected around the dinner table with one another over uncomplicated, home-cooked food just makes the leap more pleasurable.

Taste what’s good and pass it on.

• Garlic-Spinach Roasted Potatoes (recipe below)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons to drizzle in the pan

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

• Honey-Dijon Glaze (recipe below)

Preparation:

-Begin by preparing the Roasted Potatoes (recipe below), and while those roast, prepare the chicken and glaze.

-Place the chicken breasts onto a large platter or plate, and drizzle over the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the Dijon mustard, the salt and the black pepper; rub into the chicken breasts, and allow them to marinate while the pan is preheated.

-Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat; once hot, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, and once the oil it hot, add the chicken breasts (either all at once, or in 2 batches of 2 breasts) to the pan; allow the breasts to sear on medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes per side depending on thickness of the breasts, or until they have a golden brown crust on both sides and are cooked through; remove the breasts from the pan and place onto a clean plate or platter, and turn off the heat from under the pan, but keep it there on the stove; lightly tent the chicken with foil to keep warm while you prepare the Honey-Dijon Glaze (recipe below); once you have the Glaze prepared, add the chicken breasts back to the pan (the heat remains off under the pan), and pour the Honey-Dijon Glaze over the chicken breasts, turning them to coat them very well in the Glaze; serve immediately with the Garlic-Spinach Roasted Potatoes.

Garlic-Spinach Roasted Potatoes ingredients:

1½ pounds of red potatoes, quartered

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use

½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch, divided use

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

• Pinch black pepper

1 small clove garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups baby spinach leaves

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with foil.

-Add the quartered red potatoes to a large bowl, and drizzle over the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the salt, garlic powder, paprika and pinch of black pepper; toss well to coat, and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the foil-lined baking sheet; turn the seasoned potatoes out onto the baking sheet, place into the hot oven and roast for about 40-45 minutes until tender and golden; while potatoes roast, whisk together the clove of garlic with the 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pinch of salt in a small dish or ramekin, and set aside to drizzle over the potatoes and spinach; once potatoes are roasted and golden, remove them from the oven and add them to a large, clean bowl; add the baby spinach leaves, and drizzle in the garlic-lemon-oil, and toss all together until well-coated and the spinach is slightly wilted; check the salt/pepper and adjust if needed; serve with the Honey-Dijon Glazed Chicken Breasts.

Honey-Dijon Glaze ingredients:

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (or 1 ½ tablespoon fresh orange juice mixed with ½ tablespoon cider vinegar)

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preparation:

-In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until glossy and well combined, and set aside for the chicken.

10 Healthy Chicken Wing Recipes

Think chicken wings are too fattening to eat?

 Try these recipes and stay on track.

Whether its for a quick appetizer, a fun dinner, or as a party food for the big game, chicken wings almost are always on the menu. To kick wings up a notch, it’s all about the marinades and sauces. Whether you like to slow cook and baste your birds with sauce, or marinate and grill them, the recipes below are sure to please. Tips: To get your wings out-of-the-fryer crisp without the excess oil and calories, pat dry the wings before seasoning and cooking. Of course, anytime you fry something you lose any “healthy” factor. So, that’s why we suggest baking or grilling the wings instead. For a quick clean up, line your baking pan with foil. Then, after cooking, just throw the foil out, rinse off the pan and you won’t have to spend any time scrubbing burnt sauce spots.

1. Honey Mustard Chicken Wings with Dijon/Lime Dipping Sauce 

This recipe is the best of all worlds. It uses a variety of spices before cooking, bakes the wings slowly, turning twice in the cooking hour, and has a spiced, citrusy sauce for dipping. For quick clean up, line the baking sheet with tin foil.

2. Sticky Sweet Teriyaki Wings

Don’t be scared by “teriyaki” because there is no salt-laden bottled teriyaki sauce in this recipe. It’s great to have control over our ingredients and cutting out the extra, unwanted stuff found in most processed foods.

3. Caribbean Spiced Chicken Wings

Using a dry rub can help cut out calories that inevitably hide in gooey barbeque sauces. Don’t be shy about getting down and dirty when massaging the rub to the chicken. The more of the rub that’s worked into the chicken, the more flavor the chicken will hold onto during cooking.

4. Grilled Buttermilk and Beer Wings

Nothing seems healthy about this recipe at all: it marinates the chicken in buttermilk, beer, and spices so the wings are going to take on a tangy kick and stay super moist. The glaze even uses brown sugar, but swapping honey or agave syrup will cut down on the calories. You can also swap the beer for a light beer. Go ahead, splurge.

5. Thai Curry Chicken Wings

Using coconut milk and homemade curry to marinate and baste the chicken gives these wings a Thai twist. You can use low fat coconut milk but the majority of the milk will not be used after marinating so if you can’t find low fat, don’t worry about extra calories. If you really like the Thai curry, use the extra as a dipping sauce.

6. Skinny Buffalo Wings with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing 

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To make a skinny buffalo dip, this recipe drops the butter and uses chicken stock and lemon juice instead. For the dressing, using low fat buttermilk, reduced fat mayo, and blue cheese crumbles will make for a creamy ending for your spicy wings.

7. Honey Mustard Wings

If you like spicy wings, you can substitute spicy brown mustard for English mustard. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil in this recipe— whatever you have on hand. Since you aren’t adding a majority of the flavor until after the wings are fully cooked, it’s important to toss the wings with the honey mustard sauce as soon as they come out of the oven. Hot wings are much more susceptible to holding flavor and sauce than cold wings.

8. Chicken Wings with Curry-Yogurt Glaze

This recipe delivers Indian-inspired wings with a creamy spiced yogurt glaze. Make sure that your oven rack is in the middle position. If it’s too low, the yogurt will be more likely to burn. If you like to use greek yogurt, you may need to add a splash of milk to loosen up the yogurt so it will coat the wings properly.

9. Sticky Sesame Wings

Stickiness is one of the hallmarks of eating wings, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. The combination of honey, hoisin, and thick sesame oil will become a gooey glaze once baked. Hoisin and sesame oil can be found in the Asian aisle of the grocery store.

10. Balsamic-Soy Glazed Chicken Wings

Balsamic and soy are a classic combination for wings, and these are good enough to please everyone but special enough to serve for a fun occasion. While the recipe includes butter, it’s one tablespoon for four pounds of chicken, so you won’t be breaking the calorie bank by keeping it in.