Name: Maple-Orange Glazed Chicken
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup maple syrup; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon grated orange zest; 1 tablespoon white vinegar; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme; 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 pounds), halved crosswise; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Our recipe for Maple-Orange Glazed Chicken dressed up bone-in, skin-on breasts with a sweet, slightly citrus glaze. Browning the chicken on the stove first ensured the skin crisped. The browning also improved the flavor of the chicken, and the browned bits of chicken that stuck to the skillet added valuable flavor to the sauce. Thyme easily overpowered our sauce, so we used just a small amount to give our glaze a slight woodsy flavor.

Before You Begin

Be sure to use 100 percent pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, for this recipe. Take care when simmering the glaze in step 3, as the skillet handle will be hot.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Whisk maple syrup, mustard, zest, vinegar, and thyme in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in large ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin-side down, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken skin-side up and transfer skillet to oven. Cook until chicken is deep golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil.

Wearing oven mitt (pan handle will be very hot), pour off any fat in skillet. Add maple mixture to empty pan and cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon, until thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Off heat, return chicken to skillet and turn until well coated with glaze. Serve.