Recipe: Healthy Maple Dijon Baked Chicken Breasts

My husband has a lot of quirks, however, one I find the most interesting has to be his food associations. You see, Jesse can link any movie or cartoon or tv show with food. 

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gave him his love of pizza. 

He links Aladdin with giant baguettes (see here), Alice in Wonderland with dancing oysters (here), Lady and the Tramp with spaghetti (here),  The Goofy Movie with spray cheese (here), Scooby Doo with, well, everything, Matilda and chocolate cake... the list goes on and on.

But there's one food association which Jesse tried that totally turned him off a particular food forever.... 

Winnie the Pooh and honey pots. 

You see, a little Jesse thought that Pooh was onto something great and tried to eat honey for himself. Straight out of the jar... with a spoon. 

I don't know about you, but that's not how I'd suggest someone try honey - and it was that experience that turned Jesse off honey forever. He will pick the slightest taste of honey out of any food - and it was that honey hatred that was the reason this recipe came to be.

I felt like trying something new for dinner and with chicken breasts in the fridge, I knew I wanted to make some kind of chicken dish. I racked my brain for flavour combinations and thought I'd try a new honey mustard chicken recipe - but there was one problem. 

There was no way the honey hater was going to accept honey mustard chicken for dinner - even if I called it something else. I had to get creative. 

I nearly scrapped the idea all together until I decided to experiment with something completely new... Maple Syrup. Instead of honey, I was going to use maple syrup for a sweet yet slightly smokey tasting marinade. 

I had no idea what the end result was going to taste like but I went with it anyway. 

After baking the chicken breasts and putting together our sides it was time to eat - and the experiment was a success! Since that first night we've made this again and again. It's a super simple recipe that's so easy to make but is full of flavour. It doesn't look the prettiest, but I'm sure it will be a hit in your house too. 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Maple Dijon Baked Chicken Breast Recipe serves 1, easily multiplied

low fat, gluten free, paleo, grain free, refined sugar free, clean eating friendly

1 chicken breast, prepared however you like*

1 clove garlic, crushed 

1 tbsp maple syrup 

2 tsp dijon mustard 

Pinch of freshly chopped parsley 

• Preheat your oven to 220C/430F
• Line a baking tray** with baking paper and set aside.
• In a bowl, mix together your garlic, maple syrup, mustard and parsley, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper. 
• Sear your chicken breasts in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, just allowing the outside to brown slightly. 
• Place your chicken breasts into your marinade bowl, coating each side and then placing your chicken breast onto your prepared baking tray. Pour over the remaining marinade mixture and bake for chicken for 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, or until your chicken is cooked through and your sauce has thickened. 
• Serve immediately with sides of your choice. We serve them up with everything from baked veggies to steamed rice and steamed veggies or slice the chicken up to serve with salad - the options are endless!

*I don't like super thick pieces of chicken so I usually flatten ours and split a chicken breast in half for the two of us. 

**If you're making this for more than one person, simply make up the sauce in a big batch and place your chicken breasts in a casserole dish lined with baking paper. Pour your sauce over your chicken breasts and allow to cook until your chicken is cooked through and your sauce has thickened.

This recipe also works with chicken thighs/wings etc - just adjust the cooking time.

But tell me, are there any movies/shows/characters or even situations you associate with certain foods?

I tend to associate memories or places with food. For me, I always think of our Disneyland trips whenever I see churros and I associate Louisiana with microwave rice packets. Really odd connection - but it's the one thing I can safely eat and easily cook when we're there, haha :P