Maple Dijon Grilled Chicken

Maple syrup will always remind me of my husband's first solo grocery shopping trip. Right after we got married, he had about a month before he started working and so, for that month, he played "errand boy" during the days and became really good at grocery shopping (as well as purchasing and returning wedding gifts). 

One of his proudest purchases on this memorable first grocery trip was 100% Pure Maple Syrup. He explained his walk down the syrup aisle, how he read the ingredient list in almost every syrup on the shelf, and how he found that most syrups on the grocery shelf contain high fructose corn syrup as their main ingredient, followed by things like cellulose gum, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, and sodium hexametaphosphate. Feeling discouraged, he finally found a glass bottle (with a tiny handle) that said, "100% Pure Maple Syrup." And listed under "Ingredients" on the packaging? One ingredient: "pure maple syrup." That's it! One ingredient!  

It was after this story and after he so proudly showed me the bottle with full Vanna White style and grace that I was automatically converted to maple syrup, despite the fact that I had always preferred the HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) version in the past. 

With that, I present Maple Dijon Grilled Chicken.

*Adapted from Closet Cooking 

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 chicken breasts

(for the marinade):

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

(for the glaze):

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Soak chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. I like to use a large plastic bag for marinades--it's an easy way to mix all the ingredients together and simple to store in the fridge.

While chicken is marinating, make the glaze. Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a dish with a spout. Set aside. 

After 30 minutes, grill chicken until it is cooked, about 4-5 minutes each side. I used a George Foreman grill for this, but a frying pan would work as well, or, of course, an actual BBQ.

Serve cooked chicken on a bed of brown rice. Drizzle glaze over chicken and rice. Enjoy.