Produce with Amy

*I am late in posting this. This recipe was created in the spring.

I have high hopes that by the time this issue is published, spring will be in full motion. It was a long winter and we deserve sunshine and the color green to return to the landscape. For the past few months my husband John and I have been preparing for summer. For us that means starting our vegetable seedlings in the house, getting the hoophouse tilled and prepped for planting, and making decisions about projects and what animals we plan on raising.

For the past 8 years, since we raise meat birds, I have not had to purchase chicken from the supermarket. With an abundance of chicken in our freezer, I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.  This recipe is inspired by a dish that I had at an Outback Steakhouse. It involves marinating the chicken in a homemade honey mustard sauce. The result was a hit in our household and will definitely be part of our meal rotation.

SMOTHERED HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

*4 boneless chicken breasts
*4 pieces of bacon
*8 ounce container of mushrooms – sliced
*1 cup of grated cheese (I used cheddar)
*3/4 cup of chopped onion
*1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
*2 Tablespoons of butter
*¼ cup of mayonnaise
*¼ cup of Dijon mustard
*¼ cup of honey
*2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
*1 Tablespoon of lemon zest
*BBQ sauce (a drizzle for each piece of chicken)
*Salt and pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl or plastic bag place ½ of the honey mustard sauce along with ¼ cup of chopped onions. Marinate for a few hours (I let it marinate overnight). 

In a pan cook the bacon until crisp and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I reserved the bacon grease to sear the chicken in a cast iron pan – 3-4 minutes per side. 

Finish cooking the chicken in the oven until done through – 20-30 minutes.

While the chicken bakes saute the mushrooms with the remaining onions, garlic, butter, and salt and pepper. 

When you take the chicken out of the oven, top each piece with ¼ cup of cheese and melt until lightly browned under the broiler. When the cheese is done, drizzle each piece of chicken with honey mustard sauce, BBQ sauce, mushrooms, and crumbles of bacon. In the summer, when I have fresh chives, I will add a sprinkle. 

The honey mustard sauce can be made without mayonnaise if you are trying to be careful about calories. I leave it out when I make it as a salad dressing. I substitute the mayonnaise with a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil and add a few Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. 

As spring turns into summer, I hope that you take advantage of the abundance of local, fresh ingredients available in stores and local farmers markets. Make sure you check out the tab at the top of this page for more recipes. Have a wonderful spring and remember to take care of yourself and each other!