MAPLE MUSTARD CHICKEN

Of all the roast chicken recipes that I make, this combination of mustard and maple syrup has best stood the test of time. It’s the one that I make most often. But when I say that I mean while the basic premise of the mustard-maple stays a constant, I add and omit ingredients to this base very often – here a dried red chilli goes in not so much for its heat, but flavour. I soaked it in a little water before blending and adding to the rest of the marinade.

Along with our staples of flour, sugar, and salt, Dijon mustard makes an appearance on my grocery list every month. We go through a bottle a month! Salad dressings and roast chicken see the bulk of its use but one that I came across recently and really intrigued to try: make a sandwich layering on lettuce and thick slices of maple-ham in between slices of bread slathered with Dijon mustard. If you’d like to avoid the ham, hard-boiled eggs makes sense in my head.

If you like mustard-y things, you’ll be happy to know that this recipe uses both Dijon as well as wholegrain mustard. The grainy bits get slightly scorched in the oven = more crispy bits!

Personally I’m not a big fan of breast meat, so I almost always do a combination of thighs and drumsticks. Also what I almost always do, is make a bigger batch than I would need for immediate use and freeze the rest. If I cook more than I end up eating (again, almost always. Don’t let me order when I’m hungry), I shred the meat and use in sandwiches or salads. I’d be here all day if I started telling you the numerous ways in which you could use roasted chicken, but they really do make your leftovers go that much further.

The ziplock bag technique is my preferred choice for the marinating process. It’s a little complicated, so you need to pay attention here: bung all the ingredients into a ziplock bag and throw into the refrigerator overnight. Sorry.