Who You Calling Honey Honey?!

I got just because flowers today.

*swoons*

Today in all of my good domestic apartment-girlfriend glory, I not only dusted every surface and pledged the heck out of the bedroom furniture but I also succeeded in making a delicious, relatively healthy dinner that required cooking two things at once! Go me! Dinner consisted of a salad with healthy toppings (i.e. no yolk for Mr. Lawyer's hardboiled egg), my yummy maple baked squash, a guinea pig recipe of Apple-Honey Chicken and heart healthy red wine! The chicken came out pretty well. I used thighs instead of drumsticks and halved the sauce recipe although as noted I did add more honey to sweetened it up because it started out a little bit too vinegary/tart. The chicken had a nice crisp skin and the sauce was a nice balance of sweet/tart/spicy. The only thing that would hold me back from making this again is the fact that the cooking method was a wee bit smokey and the place still smells like chicken!

Apple-Honey Chicken

(Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
12 skin-on chicken drumsticks (or thighs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey (I used about an extra tablespoon more)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the drumsticks on the rack and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Bake 30 minutes; flip the drumsticks and continue baking until golden and crisp, about 30 more minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Bring the apple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sauce is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside until the chicken is done.
3. Stir the sesame seeds into the sauce, if using, and warm over medium heat, if necessary. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Add the sauce and butter and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to a platter and drizzle with any remaining sauce from the bowl.