Maple-mustard Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potato and Asparagus

Friends, I have stumbled upon a beautiful combination of flavors.  It is sweet and savory, salty and succulent, and best of all, surprisingly healthy. The secret formula? Maple, sweet potatoes, and asparagus with a bold dash of mustard. Yep, it's heavenly.

I got the idea for the maple-mustard roasted chicken from Serious Eats.  I had some chicken in the fridge and that was about it, and I couldn't stand the thought of another plain old grilled chicken and potatoes or chicken with pasta and red sauce.  When I found this recipe online, I immediately just had to try it.  But I wanted to create something a little more colorful than potato wedges, and so I chopped up some asparagus and sweet potato I had on hand, popped it all in the oven, and bam! it was a gourmet weekday, without even trying!

Here's what you need.  Keep in mind that while this recipe doesn't take too long to prepare or cook, the chicken will be much more tender if you let in marinate for 2 -3 hours before cooking.  Plan ahead!

• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 3 tbs olive oil
• a dash of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 sweet potato
• 1/2 lb asparagus, stalks cut into thirds
• 3 tbs feta cheese
• 3 tbs pecans

1. In a medium bowl, combine your vinegar, maple syrup, 1 tbs olive oil, mustard, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a dash of freshly ground pepper.  Mix well and then toss the chicken in, toss to coat, cover tightly, and let it marinate in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours. 
2. When you are ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  
3. Chop sweet potato into small cubes, and place in 9"x 13" baking dish. Drizzle in olive oil and shake them up to make sure they are coated, then sprinkle with the rest of the salt.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are tender but not entirely cooked.  
4. For an extra kick of flavor, I removed the sweet potato cubes from the pan and sauteed them in a large frying pan for 2-3 minutes to give them that wonderful charred flavor, and for an extra dose of heat to make sure they were good and tender before going back into the oven.
5. Put the sweet potatoes back into the baking dish, and add the chopped asparagus.  
6. In the same frying pan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil over high heat and brown the chicken, about 2- 3 minutes on each side. Place on top of the asparagus and sweet potatoes.
7. Before baking, I sprinkled the top of the chicken and veggies with feta cheese and a handful of pecans to add more complexity to the dish.  Mix up the cheeses and the nuts,  or leave 'em out.  I'd love to hear other combination recommendations for this dish! Finally, pour the remainder of the marinade over the chicken and vegetables.
8. Pop the uncovered baking dish into the oven at 400 degrees and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the sweet potatoes are soft. 

This chicken dish immediately became one of my favorites.  It comes out looking elegant, and tastes divine.  And it is so simple.  If you enjoy this recipe and would like to continue finding more wonderful, weekly recipes at the Gourmet Weekday, please support our local business and pick up your very own veggies4u box, which is stuffed with the fresh vegetable ingredients you need to make the recipes you find here into reality.  

Much love,
 Deidre