Apple-Maple Glazed Chicken

Do you ever get into a cooking rut or find yourself preparing the same meals in a predictable rotation? I do. It tends to happen more often when I’m caught up with the daily grind and haven’t had a chance to relax and plan out recipes I’ve been meaning to try. Well, I had a little bit of free time recently (which is so rare these days) and was reminded of this recipe for Apple-Maple Glazed Chicken. It’s a little sweet, a little savory and the glaze does something magical to plain old chicken…

I tucked this recipe away after coming across it in a magazine a couple of years ago. It originally called for orange juice and orange zest to give it some zing. I didn’t have any orange juice on hand so I substituted it with apple juice. I loved how the apple and maple flavors worked so well together. It’s truly a fall flavored dish that can be carried into the cold winter. You can prepare this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you wish… however just decrease the baking time so it doesn’t overcook. If you like more apple flavor, try using apple cider instead! The chicken went especially well with maple roasted baby carrots and mashed potatoes.

1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
6 bone-in skin on chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the apple juice, syrup, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, rosemary and garlic. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt and pepper. Bake chicken in the preheated oven, uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting frequently with apple juice/maple mixture.