Feeling Vermonty

In an attempt to not inflict my meatless style of cooking upon my father when he came to visit us in Boise, I decided to try a recipe for Maple-Mustard Baked Chick in the July/August 2007 edition of Eating Well. This makes fantastic chicken, and pairs beautifully with fresh corn and caramelized maple green beans. I strongly recommend using Coombs Family Farms 100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup. This recommendation isn’t from me as an environmentalist, but rather from me as someone who loves maple syrup, and this is the best tasting stuff around. I like Grade A for pancakes and French toast, but took the recipes recommendation and used Grade B for the chicken and beans.

3 TBS Dijon mustard
2 TBS pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 TBS fresh thyme)
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
4 lbs bone-in chicken pieces (with or without skin) or 4 lbs boneless/skinless chicken pieces Bryant has this weird thing about eating tendons and skins. Consequently we used the boneless/skinless chicken breasts the second time around and had great results.
1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat

Whisk mustard, maple syrup, 1 TBS oil, thyme, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 400º F. Set a wire rack on a large baking sheet. Combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1 TBS oil on a plate. Dredge the skin/skinned side of each chicken piece in the breadcrumbs (with drumsticks, dredge the meatier side) and arrange breaded-side up on the wire rack. Leave at least 1 inch between pieces.

Bake until golden brown and an instant read thermometer registers 165ºF when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. Serve hot or cold.

Learn from my mistake: When I made this the second time with the chicken breasts I decided that since the breading tasted so great, why not bread the entire piece of chicken? Not my brightest moment as the breading on the underside simply ends up soggy.

Caramelized Maple Green Beans

This isn’t so much a recipe but rather an idea of ingredients you can throw together to fit your preferences which yield fantastic results. Even my mom, who does not belong to the green bean fan club, enjoyed these with dinner.

1 to 2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
1 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 TBS olive oil
2-4 TBS pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
¼ tsp kosher salt

I have always simply combined the ingredients in a glass dish and roasted them in the oven while the chicken baked. The result tastes great but looks terrible as the beans lose their vibrant color while roasting. I’m thinking it would be great made on the stove top. Simply combine the olive oil, onion, and salt, and sauté until almost caramelized. Add the maple syrup, green beans, and crushed red pepper flakes and continue to sauté until beans are tender.