Rania's Recipes: Balsamic Glazed Chicken & Spicy Cheddar Sticks
Rania Harris stopped by PTL to continue her theme of quick, five-ingredient recipes!
Balsamic Glazed Chicken
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1-1/2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Potatoes:
- 2 cups baby red potatoes, halved (quartered if large)
- Chopped fresh rosemary to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3-4 rosemary sprigs, for skillet
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine balsamic, honey, mustard, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
Add chicken thighs and toss until fully coated, then transfer to the fridge to marinate at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Meanwhile, prep potatoes: In a medium bowl, add potatoes and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until combined. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add chicken and marinade and sear, skin side down, 2 minutes, then flip and sear 2 minutes more. Add potatoes to skillet, nestling them between chicken, and rosemary sprigs.
Transfer to the oven and bake until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through, 20 minutes. (If potatoes need longer to cook, transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest and continue cooking until tender.)
Serve chicken and potatoes with pan drippings.
Spicy Cheddar Sticks
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (17-1/4 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- ½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Stir together paprika, cayenne (to taste), and ¼ teaspoon salt in small bowl.
Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch square. Brush pastry with egg white, then sprinkle half of square with half of paprika mixture and half of cheese, pressing gently to adhere. Fold pastry over filling to form a rectangle, then roll lightly with rolling pin to help layers adhere and trim edges. Cut pastry into 7- by 1/2- inch strips.
Arrange strips ½ inch apart on 2 greased large baking sheets, twisting each strip each strip twice and pressing ends onto sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until golden, about 20 minutes, and transfer twists to a rack to cool slightly. Make more cheese sticks in same manner. Serve warm.
Makes: 48 sticks
