Honey Baked Chicken II

Honey Baked Chicken II

My husband is obsessed with condiments. He loves ketchup, and he even eats it on his spaghetti. And, yes, it totally grosses me out even though it shouldn't because, well, it's tomatoes. But still. He adores syrup so we buy the lite or sugar-free kind so that when a craving hits he can drink it with a straw. Just kidding about that straw part, well, as far as I know I'm kidding because I haven't actually seen him use a straw. Yet. But his absolute, most-favorite condiment in the world would have to be honey-mustard dressing. He's partial to the Ken's Steakhouse brand, but in a pinch he'll take whatever you've got on hand. We keep it stocked in the pantry so he never runs out, and my mom even keeps it in the fridge for him.

When I saw this recipe it of course jumped off the page, er, screen, at me. Chicken? Honey? Mustard? Sounds like dinner to me.



I like ketchup okay - there were many, many years when I wouldn't touch the stuff, but that all changed when I went to England and I needed to add some taste to my food. (No offense to any of you English readers, but so much of my restaurant food was bland and mushy. I'm sure what you serve in your own homes is much more flavorful!) And I like honey-mustard dressing okay, but I'm more of a ranch or bleu-cheese kinda gal. This was different - I wanted to try it - because it had honey in it. And I do love honey. I love the jars it comes in. I love to chew on the honeycomb. I love to think about the busy little bees making it. And I've loved every beekeeper I've ever met. They have a distinct personality, and, let's face it. You'd have to have a certain kind of personality - calm, cool and collected - to work with bees because bees can hurt you if you're not their friend!



This recipe called for a whole chicken, cut up, and if that's your style by all means go for it. For me, however, it was a bit more work than I wanted to go for so I used my favorite cut of chicken: the thigh. Breasts would work, but they're so less flavorful and so much more expensive. If you're going for cost-conscious eating you should definitely choose a whole chicken - your best bet - or thighs/legs - your second best bet. Most kids prefer legs and thighs, too. And I'd definitely call this a kid-friendly meal. It's been added to our recipe repertoire, and I hope you guys will enjoy it, too! (I served it with steamed veggies and Trader Joe's Israeli Couscous/Harvest Grains Blend. Good stuff, that couscous is.)

Honey Baked Chicken II / AllRecipes / Submitted by B Spradley
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Ingredients

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey


1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the melted butter or margarine, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes), basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until the chicken is nicely browned and tender and the juices run clear.

One year ago: I was baking a baby, but that's about all!
Two years ago: Bee Lian's Rich Orange Cake