Honey Baked Chicken

So I've been arguing with myself this week over whether or not to share this recipe with you.  Not because it tastes "meh" or anything... the flavor in this dish is fantastic!  Moist, tender chicken baked in an easy, rich, flavorful sauce.  Why should I hesitate over sharing that??

I hesitate because, well, the story behind this dish is embarrassing.  But, it's just too good to keep to myself!

I first made this dish a rather long time ago.  Knowing my luck it's probably been at least a year, if not closer to two years ago.  You see, I'm not entirely sure when I made this because..........................

I forgot about it.

No wait!  I promise it's REALLY GOOD!!  It was so good I raved about it to my mother-in-law and even e-mailed her the recipe.  It was so good that I set it aside with every intention of making it again "soon."  And then the weeks went by.  And weeks turned into months.  And as I explored other recipes (because that's what I like to do), I just, well, forgot about it.

But the really embarrassing part is when my mother-in-law mentioned she was making "my" honey chicken and I just totally blanked.  "What honey chicken?"  Thankfully she is wonderful and gracious and forgiving of my faulty memory.  AND sent the recipe back to me so I could refresh that memory personally.

I swear I won't forget this dish again!  And I bet you won't either once you make it.

Honey Baked Chicken
Recipe from Idon'trememberwhere but returned to me by my mother-in-law

3 lbs chicken pieces
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard (yellow or Dijon, either is great)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder

1.  Preheat oven to 350.

GORGEOUS golden color

2.  Put the chicken pieces in a 9x13 baking dish.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Even using less than 3lbs of chicken, I like to make the full amount of sauce

3.  Remove foil and baste chicken with the sauce.  Continue to bake, uncovered, for another 45-60 minutes, basting the chicken every 15 minutes.  TOTAL BAKING TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Basting keeps it moist while helping build this fantastic crust on top

The butter in this sauce makes it rich.  The honey makes it sweet, but the mustard cuts that so it's not SWEET.  The curry deepens the flavor, and could make it a little spicy depending on what kind of curry powder you have (I use sweet curry powder).  And the salt enhances everything.  There really isn't anything about this dish I don't like.  But the best part for me is the cost.  Everything on this list I ALWAYS have on hand so there's nothing extra I have to buy to make it.  Bonus!!

Oh, and a recommendation if you have young children: spend the afternoon watching Winnie the Pooh movies or cartoons, anything that really plays up Pooh's honey obsession, then have this for dinner.  You could serve this with rice and some steamed veggies, or hot crusty bread (to soak up that yummy sauce!!) and a green salad.