Maple Drenched Chicken
I know what you’re thinking; maple and chicken (gulp), huh? But if you stop and think about it, we use sugar together with chicken all the time. Be it in the form of honey, barbeque sauce, fruit sauces, chutneys and various other sweet sauces.
Maple and chicken (as well as turkey and even duck) pair surprisingly well together and the inclusion of fresh herbs help to counterbalance the maple’s naturally sweet taste. Here you’ll want to use real (pure) maple syrup, as the stuff in the breakfast time squeeze bottle is simply not going to deliver the same end result. I love to serve this dish with cascading mountains of whipped mashed potatoes drizzled with the pan juices.
Maple Drenched Chicken
8 large boneless and skinless chicken thighs (or about the same amount of chicken breasts, which would likely be 3-4 breasts)
1/3 cup all purpose flour (blenched and/or organic if possible)
2-3 tbsps of olive oil
2 cups of chicken (or turkey stock)
4 tbsp fresh chervil (or other herb of your choice), finely chopped (chives actually go really nicely here too)
1/3 cup real maple syrup (not imitation)
Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt, both to taste (optional)
In a mixing bowl or shallow dish mix the flour with salt & pepper. One by one dredge the chicken thighs in the flour until they are lightly coated all over (note, if your chicken seems really dry before you start this step, run it under cool water for a moment first, doing this will help the flour to adhere to the chicken pieces).
In a medium or large non-stick frying pan heat up the olive over medium high heat (or high, if your stove top does not get all that warm) and place all the chicken thighs into the pan (use two pans if required or cook in batches as you want the pieces to lay flat in the pan).
Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until it is thoroughly cooked through and the chicken juices run a golden clear colour. Once finished remove the chicken from the heat and set aside for the time being.
Take the frying pan off the heat and get rid off any extra chicken fat (grease), while still off the heat pour your stock and maple syrup into the pan and return to the stove over medium-low heat. Stir very frequently to prevent any possible crystallization of the syrup. After the mixture has reduced by about a third (ten minutes or so) return the chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the meat.
Bring the temperature back up to medium high for about 5 minutes, stirring the pan often still, or until the sauce is thick enough so that it lightly coats the back of your mixing spoon. Season to taste and transfer the chicken pieces to a serving platter.
Sprinkle over the chopped chervil and serve any extra maple sauce in a gravy boat or small pitcher at the table. Leftovers will keep, well covered, in the fridge for up to three days and are absolutely fabulous cut up and added to fresh salads.
Serves 3-4 people