Apple Butter Baked Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables
I couldn’t let autumn pass without using one of my favorite cozy ingredients - apple butter. This chicken breast is marinated in it. With fresh sage and a hint of stone ground mustard, it is flavorful and juicy. Vegetables are roasted in olive oil and smoky paprika. A dinner everyone will love.
prep time: 1 hr
cook time: 40 minutes
servings: 2
Ingredients:
CHICKEN BREASTS
2 chicken breasts - medium to large, defrosted or fresh
1/2 cup apple butter
1/2 tsp stone ground mustard
2 tbsp butter
4 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper
pinch of paprika
VEGETABLES
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
handful of petite multi-colored potatoes, halved
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
3 large sage leaves, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
A SIDE NOTE
Since it is almost Thanksgiving, here is an easy way to adapt this dish to a great side dish — make the apple butter marinade for the chicken and coat the vegetables in it, instead of the meat. Cook at the same temperature until the vegetables are tender.
Directions:
You first want to brine the chicken breasts so they stay juicy throughout cooking. To do this, take your chicken breasts and place them in a bowl of water with a generous amount of salt. Let them stay in this bath for about 20 minutes. Remove and pat dry excess water.
While this is happening, make your marinade over the stove. Combine the apple butter, mustard, butter and sage in a pot until combined and simmering. Let cool slightly.
Take some plastic wrap and place your chicken breasts on it. Salt and pepper both sides of the meat. Generously brush the marinade onto your chicken breasts. You want a fairly thick layer. Take the other ends of the plastic wrap and secure tightly around the chicken. Save the excess for the vegetables. Let this sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile you can start chopping and peeling the carrots and parsnips. Halve the potatoes. Make sure to leave the potatoes a little larger than the other vegetables, as the potatoes will get tender a little faster. Chop the red onion.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, garlic, sage, paprika, salt and any excess marinade. Spread on the bottom of a glass baking dish, or metal sheet pan. Once the chicken is done marinating, place it on top of the vegetables and add a pinch of paprika on top.
Bake for about 40 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly by using a meat thermometer (it should register at 165 degrees), or making a small incision and seeing the meat is fully white and the juices run completely clear. The vegetables should also be tender.
Once out of the oven, let the dish sit for 5-10 minutes so the chicken has time to rest (this helps the chicken stay juicy as well). Then, serve!