M: Honey Rosemary Chicken With Rice Pilaf Filed under ( chicken, Healthy )

So I have made a goal for myself. What would that goal be, you might ask? Nothing big, nothing super special, but I really want to successfully accomplish Rachael Ray’s top 2010 recipes from her talk show.

I watched this episode recently and all of her recipes just sounded fantastic.

Plus, I feel like recently I’ve become a little complacent with my cooking and just want to challenge myself a little bit. I’m always doing new things with my baking, so why not try something new on the cooking front?

Some of these recipes are definitely a little out of my comfort zone, which I think is a good thing!

Maybe I will find something new I enjoy or a new ingredient I love using…we shall see! I won’t pressure myself to get them all done immediately, since most are pretty involved, but they will ALL get done! =)

Onto the first recipe of the 10 that I tried out – the Honey Rosemary Chicken.

Can I please just tell you how awesome this chicken was? It was definitely sweet, so you need to have a love for things sweet. But the sweetness paired with the fresh rosemary, shallots, and a little lemon. oh. my. goodness. so. good.

The honey made a thicker glaze that coated the chicken so nicely. And the crunch from the pine nuts sprinkled on top just really made the dish. I served it with a wild rice pilaf with dried cranberries and green onions and a side salad.

Honey Rosemary Chicken

from Rachael Ray

2 TB olive oil, divided

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 large shallot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 cup honey

1 TB dijon mustard

juice of 1 lemon

**Optional: pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted, for sprinkling on top

Heat 1 TB olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. When oil smokes, add chicken to the pan and cook about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and cover with foil.

Reduce heat on pan to medium and add the other TB of olive oil. Add shallots, garlic, and rosemary to pan and cook about 2 minutes. Add honey, dijon, and lemon juice. Stir. Add chicken back to pan and coat on all sides with the bubbling glaze. Turn off heat.

Sprinkle with toasted nuts, if desired.

Enjoy!

Oh, my best friend Jen came to visit with her 8 month old chocolate lab…So, Marley, Ziggy, and Charlie decided to make an appearance =)