***Okay, so I got a little creative in the kitchen again last night. Instead of following a recipe, I sort of looked in the pantry and went with what I had on-hand. Hey, it's a fantastic way to save money on food in this economy! And sometimes, you get a kick-butt recipe out of it.At my last trip to the grocery store, I asked the butcher to cut one of the whole roasting chickens into 8 pieces for me. Don't hesitate to ask your butcher to do the same...it will make your job in the kitchen much, much easier! If you're like me, cutting up a chicken is not very high on my "Things I Like to Do" list.
I decided first on the chicken...Next, I moved on to my next dilemma: How in the world did I want to prepare it? As I scanned my pantry for items my eyes came across artichoke hearts, a can of San Marzano tomatoes, and....peanut butter?? Um, No, No and NO!
Was this pantry thing such a good idea after all? I looked some more....and then, I had it! Honey, Lemon and Butter...YES!
This dish folks, is what we ended up eating for dinner last night. And it was quite delicious if I do say so myself!! The fact that the chicken was bone-in meant that the chicken would be nice and juicy. The scrumptious glaze only helped increase the juicyness factor. Now, we all know that honey and butter are a combo made in heaven. The lemon juice and thyme added a wonderful flavor to the glaze as well. I think you'll enjoy this one!!!***
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried thyme
Juice from one large lemon
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash chicken pieces with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one 9"x13" baking dish. Lightly drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
Place the butter in a medium bowl, and place in the microwave. Heat for 25 second intervals until the butter is completely melted. Be careful...don't heat it so long that it splatters!
Add the honey, thyme and lemon juice to the butter. Stir thoroughly to complete the glaze.
With a basting brush, brush about 1/2 of the glaze onto the chicken pieces...covering completely. Place chicken into the pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove chicken and brush the chicken pieces again with the other half of the glaze. Place back into oven and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove chicken again and baste again using the juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the dish.
Continue basting the chicken at 10-15 minute intervals until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. The entire cooking process should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your oven.
NOTE: Keep a close eye on the chicken while it is cooking. You may have to cover the chicken with aluminum foil about half-way through the cooking process in order to keep the skin from becoming too dark or burning.
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