Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Haha, well several years after writing this post originally, I had to re-write it because basically nothing was true anymore. 

I wrote that almost none of my recipes have chicken (I literally grill chicken every night now), that knowing whether the chicken is cooked stresses me out (true, but I’ve discovered meat thermometers), and that I hate dealing with raw meat (still true, but I’ve had to man up).  I’ve updated a few of the recipe details as well.

BUT, what is still true about this delish chicken recipe is that it’s super fast, easy, and healthy.  And that still makes it a winner (winner, chicken dinner) in my book.

This recipe is so easy and not remotely stressful, even on a harried weeknight.  It even got a super thumbs up from a guy friend, so don’t worry about the brown sugar making it too “frou frou”.  I served this with a delicious cauliflower leek risotto and some sauteed kale and they went great together. We were super stuffed afterward.

Note, I’ve recently updated the photos and the recipe itself to improve the overall output.

The best part about this?  Five minutes of actual hands-on time, and then it’s in the oven.  Start your ovens…

Mix the brown sugar, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl.  Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Place the chicken breasts in the pan, ideally with a bit of space between them.  The recipe calls for regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which I use but will typically cut them into smaller pieces.  I like to line my pan with foil to make clean-up easier.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then spread the garlic brown sugar mixture over them evenly.

Bake at 450 for 15-30 minutes…the time will definitely depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts.  I recommend checking them with a meat thermometer, they need to be at least 165 F inside.  Mine typically take 20-25 minutes.

So luxuriate in the extra time you have during dinner prep, have a gin & tonic (might I reco this delicious rosemary simple syrup), and congratulate yourself on excellent decision making!

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

• 2 regular boneless skinless chicken breasts (divided into smaller pieces) or 4 tenders
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Mix the brown sugar, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl.  Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Lightly grease a casserole dish or put down aluminum foil.
2. Place the chicken breasts in the pan, ideally with a bit of space between them.  The recipe calls for regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which I use but will typically cut them into smaller pieces.
3. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then spread the garlic brown sugar mixture over them evenly.
4. Bake at 450 for 15-30 minutes…the time will definitely depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts.  I recommend checking them with a meat thermometer, they need to be at least 165 F inside.  Mine typically take 20-25 minutes.

Original recipe from Food.com