Learnin’ Stuff: Brown Sugar Chicken

Do y’all smell that? It’s SPRING! Spring is in the air, and we all know what that means! I don’t have any idea what to cook anymore! So, today I shifted gears and tried to think of something I could make that would be a bit lighter and more “refreshing”, and would also utilize some of our produce that was withering away in the fridge. I had radishes, green beans and some chicken breasts, plus a lil’ brown sugar left over from a baking project. Thus this idea was born, to make a brown sugar chicken breast with a light spring salad! So follow along closely and let’s see if we can pull together an amazing dish!

Difficulty: Easy
Serving Size: Two 
Time: 45 minutes

2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp of butter
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1 1/2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tbsp of whole grain mustard
1 tsp of freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper
salt
pepper

10 radishes, quartered
1/2 lb. of green beans
1/2 ripe avocado, diced
1 tbsp of apple cider vineager
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of ground coriander
1/4 cup of olive oil

I know what you are thinking, “Kyle, a salad and chicken breast? That’s not very spicy.” And of course, you’re right! But sometimes I have to dial back how spicy things are, lest I become immune to all things hot! This recipe is also rated E: for Everyone…err that’s a game rating, I meant Easy! You can toss this together in about 45 minutes, and you can tweak the veggies in this, like substituting snap peas for the green beans; on a side note, I used a vegan butter to make my sauce, but you can use normal butter if that’s more your speed!

 1. To start we will cut the ends of the green beans, then split them in half at an angle. Combine them in a large bowl with the quartered radishes.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredientsexcept the olive oil, and mix together well. If you want, you can blend them instead to make a more traditional dressing. Once the mixture reaches the consistency you want, mix in the olive oil.

3. Toss the salad in the dressing, and set it aside, because it’s time to start the chicken! Season both sides of your chicken breast with salt and pepper.

4. Cook on medium high with 1 tbsp or so of olive oil, 8 minutes per side. Once cooked through, remove from the pan.

5. Still on medium high, add the butter. Once it has started to melt place the chicken broth and garlic in, letting cook til fragrant for about one minute.

6. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has become thicker like a sauce. At this point add the chicken back in and spoon the sauce over it.

7. That’s it! Plate your dish beautifully and serve it up!

So, what do you think? It’s not the usual spicy goodness that I make, but for a spring fling, I think it does the job pretty darn well! I’m still searching for more tasty and heat packed meals to cook up for everyone, so be on the lookout for more recipes. As always, let me know if you have any requests in a comment!!