Sweet & Sour Mustard Chicken

Plate me up baby! Sweet & Sour Mustard Chicken.

Check point chicky.

Don't ask my why, but for some reason Dear Husband started calling chicken "check point chicky" to garner excitement about chicken with my children. This is, of course, is a "Daddy-O Thing," so Mommy is not allowed to say it. I don't know if it's because of the fancy name or not, but my kids love chicken. They would eat it everyday if they could, so I'm always trying to find new and exciting ways to prepare it. One of their favorites is Laura's Zingy Chicken, a recipe I made as a guest post for Jess at Nummy For My Tummy. It's a favorite not only with my family, but with my followers as well! So, if you're looking for great chicken recipes, file that one away!

And, hey! While you're filing, go ahead and add this one to your chicken file as well because my family DEVOURED it! The name is self explanatory. It takes the idea of sweet mustard chicken to a whole 'notha level!

Sweet & Sour Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken leg quarters (could also use breasts if you wish)
1 can full fat coconut milk
5 tsp dried mustard
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs fresh thyme (1/2 Tbs dried) + more for extra sprinkling & garnish
3 Tbs raw honey
1/4 cup Dijon (I love Whole Food's brand-- great paleo friendly ingredients)
1/2 liquid cup apple cider vinegar

Bake away my pretties

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F. In a sauce pan over medium heat pour milk. Add and whisk well seasonings & thyme. Add honey & dijon. Continue whisking until honey & dijon are well blended. Whisk until liquid starts to bubble. Allow liquid to reduce until it thickens. Once thickened, remove from heat. Pour & whisk in apple cider vinegar. Dish out 3/4 cup of sauce & set aside for topping.

Coat the bottom of an oven safe baking dish (I used my cast iron skillet) with a little bit of the sauce. Place chicken in pan. Pour the remaining sauce over chicken. Top with a few sprinkles of fresh thyme & bake. You will bake the chicken until the it reaches an internal temperature of 160*F (approximately 30 minutes). Chicken should be 165*F to be safe. For chicken quarters, place the meat thermometer in the fleshy part where the leg meets the thigh (Whoa! Sounds saucy doesn't it? Wink, wink). It will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven. I basted the chicken twice with the sauce during the cooking process. This just ensures a good coating of sauce on the chicken. Once done, remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Tip: Use a meat thermometer-- not time-- for determining doneness of meat. If you are eating Paleo, I highly recommend investing in a decent meat thermometer. They are not expensive at all. Temperature reading is so much more accurate, and is a huge help in avoiding over or under-cooked meat. Always remove meat at 5* away from final desired temp as it will continue to cook as it is resting.

To Plate:

I placed my chicken on simple bed of steamed kale. It would also be delicious paired with steamed or wilted mustard greens. Top the chicken with some of the extra sauce. Garnish with some fresh thyme & ENJOY!

Pairs perfectly with wilted or steamed kale or mustard greens!