Hey there! It’s been a busy couple of weeks over here. I’m getting fully back into the swing of seeing athletes, writing, presenting, and planning programs plus everything that goes along with being a wife and new mom. It’s exciting and crazy all at the same time.
With that said, today I decided I would share one of my recent go-to chicken recipes. It’s so fast and simple, requiring only about 5 ingredients. I love it because it uses ingredients I typically already have in my kitchen and, while it uses minimal ingredients, it is paaaacked with flavor! AND it’s really tender and juicy, which I think can be really hard to get with your typical boneless skinless chicken breast. I’ve had this recipe on our dinner rotation for the last month or so. It’s delicious any time, but, for some reason it’s even more satisfying this time of year when the weather starts getting a little chillier.
You can absolutely prep this ahead by mixing together the marinade in a large bowl, adding in the chicken, covering with foil or plastic wrap and storing in the fridge until dinner time. When it’s time for dinner, stick the chicken in the oven, cook up some quinoa or brown rice and a veggie or salad to have with it and, voila! A balanced meal ready in about 40 minutes!
We have been throwing this chicken in the oven while I put baby girl to bed and then Kyle starts on the salad or veggies so everything is pretty much ready to enjoy once baby girl is asleep. If you’ve got after school practices or evening practices, this can also be thrown together quickly when the hungry athlete walks in the door. I love serving it over a bed of quinoa or couscous that will absorb some of the deliciously sweet yet savory sauce! It’s a home run protein source and it pairs well with most veggies and a wintery salad like one we have been making lately with greens, pomegranates and feta. Yum!!! This dish is a hit in our house. Definitely give this recipe a try if you’re looking for a new simple recipe this season!
Happy Fueling!
Taylor
Fig Dijon Chicken
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.5 to 2 pounds total)
1/2 cup creamy Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fig preserves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
About 6 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more as desired ( I love alllll the fresh herbs, so don’t really measure here. I use as much as I feel like!)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup). I usually spray the foil with a little cooking spray as a little extra measure to keep the chicken from sticking.
In a large bowl, mix together the preserves and mustard. Add the chicken breasts and get them completely coated in the fig-dijon mixture. At this point you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to bake or you can move to the next step and cook immediately.
Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle each chicken breast with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
Bake the chicken in a preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes (Chicken should be easy to cut with a knife with an internal temp of 165 degrees F).
Serve with brown rice, couscous or quinoa and your favorite veggie and enjoy!