Chicken breasts with grainy mustard, almonds & thyme

July 23, 2010


It’s Friday, which means (you got it) Happy Hour at Mac’s. I had the bleu cheese peppercorn burger (no bun) and steak fries. Their burgers are fabulous. I love the fries, but that is a one-way relationship, sadly. Remember Fry Sauce? Maybe it’s just a Utah thing, but I hear you can buy it at the Super Walmart (?). It’s essentially mayo & ketchup. The trick is getting the mixture right. It should be a salmon color, or so. It also takes a perfectly good, low cal condiment and makes it 100% fat.

Here is something else from the past.

Chicken breasts with grainy mustard, almonds & thyme
High Heat, by Waldy Malouf, pg 110

¼ cup whole grain mustard
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 T fresh thyme leaves, chopped (plus a couple of sprigs for garnish)
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 whole chicken breasts
coarse sea salt or kosher salt
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a very large bowl, whisk together the mustards, chopped thyme, and pepper with 2 T water. Whisk in the olive oil. Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Place in the bowl and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the over to 500° or start the grill. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.

In the oven: lay the chicken breasts skin side down in a roasting pan. Roast for about 25 minutes, turning once and basting with the marinade, until the chicken is crisp and cooked through.

On the grill: lay the chicken skin side down on the grill and cook, covered, until well seared, about 8 minutes. Turn the breasts, brush them with the marinade and grill for another 10 minutes, until crisp and cooked through.

Toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet.

Serve the chicken breasts garnished with the almonds and thyme sprigs, season with salt.