New-Found Chicken Love

In my attempts to start eating healthy, I've decided that chicken is an unavoidable source of protein that I must now consider. I tend to choose more adventurous and fattening forms of protein (rabbit, sweet italian sausage, short ribs, eel, bacon...), but I understand now that my indulgences are the primary reason why I have never lost weight.

When I think "chicken" I remember my mother's baked Ritz cracker chicken that I would slather with mayonaise and hardened marinara drenched chicken parmesan from the fine Italian restaurants North Carolina has to offer.

So, food blocked by my assumptions of chicken for dinner, I Googled "unique chicken recipes" and found a curried honey mustard chicken. Of course! Spicy! A proven tactic to defeat food blah. Although this chicken recipe sounded delicious, it still had a chance of adding to my list of bad chicken dinner experiences. (Use an under-salted, not-enough-butter mashed potato side dish, and this main course doesn't have a fighting chance.)

To make this dish amazing, I decided to add some sauteed yellow onions, chopped chives and serve over a bed of jasmine rice. Maybe not the best meal to kick off my "diet" (1/3 cup of butter), but at least it overcame my contempt for chicken as a main course.

CURRIED HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

8 chicken breast tenderloins

1/3 cup butter melted

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup dijon mustard

2 tbs curry powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 yellow onion diced

1/4 cup sliced chives

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Rinse chicken breast tenderloins and put in sealable baking dish. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter then add the honey, mustard, curry powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Sautee the onions until caramelized and slightly crispy. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and add the sauteed onions. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

JALEPENO BASIL CHICKEN

No Photos for this post. It was made a bit on the unpredictably.

8 chicken breast tenderloins
14 oz. crushed tomatoes
3 tsp. curry powder
10 medium to large basil leaves, julliened
1 jalepeno de-seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Rinse chicken breast tenderloins and put in sealable baking dish. Sautee the garlic and jalepeno and garlic on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, curry powder and basil leaves stirring occasionally. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Pour on top of chicken breast, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Chop up chicken and serve over rice or incorporate into bow tie pasta.