I just have to say that I’m pretty excited about today’s recipe. The chicken just comes out so tender and delicious! Like, it’s probably the best baked chicken I’ve ever made. It’s a far cry from my first attempts at baking chicken. Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
We were newlyweds temporarily living in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. My husband’s company in Texas had merged with a company up there, and he was helping them get set up. Since I didn’t have a job and had plenty of time on my hands, I needed something to do. The apartment we stayed in was furnished, so I had a full kitchen with cookware and dishes. We had only brought the absolute essentials with us up there, so I didn’t have any cookbooks. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not even sure I owned a cookbook at that point. No cookbook and no real cooking skills. What could possibly go wrong? ?
Anyway, one of my “brilliant” creations was to bake some chicken breasts covered with pasta sauce. I don’t think I even had salt and pepper to season the chicken with. Ha! Since I had no clue how to cook, I had no idea how long to cook the chicken breast. It turned out extremely dry and tough, but my husband still ate it. 🙂
This Honey Dijon Chicken with Lime recipe is a far cry from the dry chicken we had in Cleveland. My husband said it was some of the best chicken he’s ever had. Yay!
The best part is just how crazy easy this is to make. The marinade/sauce takes maybe 5 minutes to make, then you just let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour on the countertop. Then, pop it into the oven and bake until done. It doesn’t get a whole lot easier than that!
*The crushed red pepper flakes do add a nice kick of heat to the chicken. If you want it less spicy, just lower the amount to your preferred heat level.
How about you? Did you know how to cook when you got married? Any kitchen disaster stories you’d like to share?
Honey Dijon Chicken with Lime
Ingredients
- 2.5 to 3 lbs. chicken leg quarters
Marinade:
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp raw liquid honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3 smashed garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use smaller amount if you want it less heat)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the marinade/sauce ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat the chicken. Let sit on counter for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Place chicken into baking dish, pour marinade/sauce over the chicken and place uncovered into your pre-heated oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until an inserted meat thermometer registers 170°F and juices run clear.