In this vintage inspired maple lemon chicken breast we are using real Canadian maple syrup. Ok you can get away with using any real maple syrup. But don’t use the fake stuff! We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because I love them. I have been cooking these chicken breasts for years in various ways, and this recipe has a truly tasty and unique flavour profile.
You can bake, boil, and fry chicken, but finding something that makes it stand out from the plain jane everyday chicken is something special. I admit that, on occasion, I’ve fallen into the boring chicken trap. If you cook the same thing over and over and need something new, this is it. The maple lemon chicken is the perfect balance of sweet and zesty to make the chicken truly shine.
Maple lemon chicken, here we come!
The first thing I want to say is that you don’t have to use just boneless, skinless chicken. It’s the most expensive cut of chicken, so using a budget-friendly cut like the leg or thighs is also fine.
Place the chicken on your baking tray. I use my glass 9 by 13 baking pans for this and love how easy it cleans up. Gather the rest of the ingredients and start by zesting that lemon. Afterwards, you can juice your lemon, being careful to take out any seeds.
The easiest way to remove seeds after juicing is to run the juice through a small sieve.
Once you’ve got that accomplished, mix in the remaining ingredients and stir it up well. The next step is making sure that some of that flavorful juice gets onto each piece of chicken. You can pour directly from the measuring cup that you mixed things in.
Make sure to use all that flavorful juice; it will help to keep things from drying out as well as flavor the meat. Cover the baking dish now; I used tinfoil. The oven is set at 375 degrees, and the chicken is going in for 30 minutes to start. After the initial 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and baste. A note of caution here: removing tinfoil from a hot pan directly out of the oven can cause steam burns, so be careful.
Lifting just the corner of the tinfoil let the steam escape before lifting further. If you do scald yourself, I know it hurts, be sure to run cool water over the burn.
After basting return the chicken to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken tests done. Serve with rice and be sure to use the savory juice from the pan to flavor up that rice!
Your Questions Answered:
I want to make more chicken for dinner. Should I double this recipe? Doubling this recipe will mean using more maple syrup which is costly. So ask yourself if you need to double the recipe fully or if you can get away with the juice you have. This recipe made enough to likely cover up to six pieces of chicken in a pinch.
Can I omit the cinnamon? Sure, cinnamon does add the finished flavor but if you’re not a fan of cinnamon by all means leave it out.
Maple Lemon Chicken Breast
Equipment
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Teaspoon
- Tinfoil Baking Cover
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts *Boneless, skinless
- ½ Cup Real Canadian Maple Syrup
- ½ Cup Dijon Mustard
- ¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Grated Lemon Rind
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in baking dish.
- In a measuring cup or bowl mix the remaining ingredients.
- Pour over each breast to thoroughly cover.
- Cover with tinfoil or baking dish cover.
- Place in preheated 375℉ oven for 30 minutes .
- Removed from oven and baste with juices.
- Return to oven for 20 more minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve while hot.