Honey Dijon Chicken

On Monday, Brendan made Bobby Flay's Honey Dijon Chicken, since he had President's Day off. The day before, I cut a whole chicken in half, and let it sit with olive oil and salt overnight in the fridge. The recipe called for two whole chickens cut into eight pieces each, so he just adjusted the cooking time and glaze amount. Overall, the chicken was very good, but the glaze got very burnt on the baking sheet. Next time, we'll just toss the chicken with the glaze, and then put it onto the baking sheet, rather than basting the glaze on. I think this recipe would work best with chicken wings.

For sides, I kept it simple and southern-themed. I made a simple stove-top polenta with pickled jalepenos and sharp cheddar cheese, and collard greens with onions, garlic, and diced tomatoes.

Modified recipe:
One 5-pound chicken, each cut in half

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

3/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 375°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the chicken and olive oil; season with salt. Roast until nearly cooked through, about 30 minutes. Preheat the broiler on high (we'll do low next time) and position a rack just below center.

 

In a saucepan, bring the honey, mustard, pepper and a pinch of salt to a boil.

Toss all of chicken with the honey mixture. Turn the chicken skin side down and broil for about 5 minutes, basting with the honey and shifting the baking sheet, as necessary, until the pieces are browned. Turn the chicken skin side up and broil for 5 minutes longer, basting occasionally. The chicken is done when it's cooked through and the skin is deeply glazed but not blackened. Transfer the chicken to a platter.