Monday, October 18, 2010

Ranch Chicken

I'm in love with the pioneer woman. Every recipe I've tried I've loved! She knows how to make good man food. This is her recipe for Ranch Chicken or just look below. I made some minor adjustments to fit what I had.

Ingredients

  • ½ cups Dijon Mustard (regular mustard is just fine)
  • ½ cups Honey
  • ½ whole (juice Of) Lemon (Or a splash of lemon juice)
  • ½ teaspoons Paprika
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • Crushed Red Pepper (optional To Taste)
  • 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (or any part of the chicken, I had some legs)
  • 1 pound Thick Cut Bacon
  • Bacon Grease
  • Sharp Cheddar Cheese, to taste
  • Canola Oil

Preparation Instructions

To begin, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together ½ cup Dijon or country/grainy mustard with ½ cup honey, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Set aside.

Next, rinse the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to around ½ to ¾ inch thick with a mallet. Next, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours. (I used chicken legs so I just had to toss them in the marinade)

While the chicken marinates, fry up some bacon. When finished cooking, reserve ¼ cup of the bacon grease and clean out the skillet.

When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade. Heat half of the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of Canola Oil in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is nice and hot add two or three pieces of chicken to it. Cook until brownish/blackish, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large baking sheet. If cooking many pieces of chicken, repeat skillet process and remove finished chicken to baking sheet. Place chicken in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. (The legs took longer than 10 min.)

Lay a few pieces of bacon over each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken as generously as you like. Return pan to oven for an additional five minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling. Serve immediately.

Really delicious! The marinade was so yummy you don't even need the bacon or cheese.

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