Cooking for my family is something I’m passionate about. I love to design recipes and experiment with unique flavor profiles (I often pretend I’m in my own little episode of “chopped”)! My time in the kitchen while Matt is watching Brooks is like a small getaway – I can see them playing in the living room while enjoying my labor of love. This recipe is one of those experimental masterpieces, a dish I happened upon while using up all my “extras” towards the end of the week.  You may have seen it unfold live on my Instagram story last winter, and I eagerly bring you the detailed version of this delicious dish today! As much as I love to cook, I do NOT love the aftermath (thankfully, Matt is so good about cleaning up after dinner, but he always appreciates when the damage is minimal). I love a good one-pan dish, and while this one-pan honey lime chicken skillet is easy and quick, it is nothing short of spectacular!

A hybrid between an Asian and Spanish inspired dish, the flavor of this chicken is unparalleled by any other skillet dish I’ve made. The tang of the lime and the zing of the soy sauce is perfectly muted by the smooth sweetness of the honey, as if these ingredients were made for each other. The true magic of this dish though comes from the skillet itself – cast iron to be specific. If you have yet to experience the magic of a cast iron skillet, make that your priority this week! Somehow the cast iron is able to better infuse the deep flavor profile into the chicken thighs while simultaneously producing a mouth-watering crispy-on-the-outside finish. If you find yourself intimidated by cast iron like I once was I want to encourage you to take the plunge this week – it is a real game changer in the kitchen and not nearly as difficult maintain as you’d think! We received our lodge cast iron skillet as a wedding gift and it has completely transformed my cooking ability and the taste of my homemade meals! The one I linked above is the “large” size, perfect for family sized meals such as this one (and the larger your skillet, the more “one pan meals” you can get away with)!

At this point I’ve exhausted the things I have to say about this dish, so to spare you my ramblings, let’s get right to it!

Honey Lime Chicken Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 package boneless chicken thighs (5-6)
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 Lime
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1/4 C Green onion
• 2 tsp Minced Garlic
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
•  Dash of Olive Oil
• Something to serve over (I recommend quinoa cooked in chicken broth OR brown rice)
• Sea salt/ cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Chop sweet potato and 1/4 of the red onion into 1/4th inch pieces. Heat 1 tsp minced garlic with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add potato/onion.
2. Season veggies with sea salt/cracked black pepper and saut̩ over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until onions are translucent and potatoes are lightly charred. You may need to add a bit more olive oil after a few minutes Рkeep an eye on it! When they are finished, pour the veggies out onto a plate and set aside, but keep the drippings in the skillet!
3. Begin cooking the glaze (reduction sauce) by adding the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, juice from 1/2 lime, and honey to the skillet along with the other 1/4 chopped red onion and 1 more tsp minced garlic. Bring this to a light simmer over Medium-High heat (stirring occasionally) until the sauce has gone from a watery consistency to more of a glaze (reduced by about half).
4. While the sauce simmers, pat chicken thighs dry and season all over with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a dust of garlic powder if you have it!
5. When the sauce is ready, add the chicken thighs (upside down) to the pan and sear over medium-high heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Spoon some of the glaze on top of the thighs as they cook.
6. After the top of the thighs have browned, flip them over and turn off heat. Squeeze the remaining half of lime over the top!
7. Re-incorporate the veggies to the pan (spoon them in around the thighs) and place the whole skillet into the oven to finish cooking. Cook in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes before checking for “doneness”!
8. While the chicken cooks, prepare your quinoa, rice, or whatever side of choice! (See my Instagram highlights for fun side dish recipes!)
9. When finished, remove from oven and serve over quinoa with a sprinkle of chopped green onion and a lime wedge! Spoon excess glaze over the top of the chicken and quinoa. Bon Appetit!

And there you have it – a delicious one-pan meal sure to please anyone at your table! If making a reduction sauce sounds intimidating to you, I challenge you to give this one a try because it is SO much easier than it sounds. The trick is simply to keep an eye on the simmer – you want to maintain a rolling simmer without having it reduce too fast. When executed well, this glaze helps form a delicious amber “crust” over the chicken and is the perfect compliment  to the bed of rice or quinoa beneath it!

I hope you will bring this tasty recipe to your family table this week! And if you’re on Instagram, I’d love to see your creations – tag me so I can see your masterpiece! And here’s one last pro tip – it tastes better with chardonnay :).

 

-Kelsie