Hope Harrell: Personal Trainer + Nutrition Coach

The best, easiest, coziest, most delicious weeknight or entertaining meal ever.

This chicken is my all time favorite meal for the fall and winter. It is only 5 ingredients and is done in one cast iron skillet. From the first time it gets cold in Texas until the last (so usually only November-February ish), I make this every other week if not every week. It truly can’t get much easier than this y’all.

I also love to entertain with this dish. It’s one of those dishes that seems so elegant and fancy but actually only takes you 5 ingredients and 20 minutes to make. But that will be our little secret… No one needs to know how easy it is!

Honey and mustard has been a classic flavor combo for a little while now, but switching the honey for maple gives this dish a fall/winter twist and a much more subtle sweetness. The dijon instead of classic mustard elevates the flavor combo by bringing in rich spices and tartness that balances perfectly with the sweetness. Add a little garlic and you have yourself my favorite flavor combo of the season.

I love to pair this chicken with roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts and crispy potatoes. I make a rosemary garlic smashed potatoes that pair so well with this. Quinoa or rice would also go great with this!

I am so excited for y’all to try this one out! Let me know in the comments or by liking this post if you are going to try it!

Here’s to the pursuit of a healthier YOU!

MAPLE DIJON CHICKEN

What you need:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder if you don’t use fresh)
• 1T apple cidar vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 2T olive or avocado oil

Instructions:

• To start, depending on how big the chicken breast is, you can cut them in half or leave as is. I usually have pretty big chicken breasts, so I cut them in half to speed up cook time and make it enough for one serving per chicken
• Preheat your oven to 425F
• In a cast iron skillet, heat up the olive or avocado oil on medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on each side and sear on both sides until golden brown and a little crispy, about 3-4 minutes
• While the chicken is searing, whisk together all remaining ingredients until mustard is incorporated fully
• Pour half of the sauce over one side of the chicken, then flip the chicken and pour the remaining sauce. Be sure that the chicken is fully coated in the sauce
• Place the cast iron skillet into the oven. Bake until the chicken reaches and internal temperature of 175F, about 15 minutes.
• Enjoy! & don’t forget to spoon on the extra sauce on the chicken for best results