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Roasted Rosemary Chicken With Maple Pears

So few ingredients and so much appeal! And you won’t find an easier way to marry ripe pears with herbed chicken. Tuck baking potatoes and peppers or squash in the oven at the same time and you wind up with a no-watch dinner that’s superbly healthy. The maple syrup, of course, will certainly up its appeal for the younger crowd.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 35 min

Ingredients

4 bone-in chicken breasts
or
8 bone-in chicken thighs
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp rosemary, dried
2 pears, ripe but firm
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 pinch salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg

Food Safety

Before you start, wash all surfaces and your hands with soap and warm water, and remember to wash your hands, utensils and cutting boards after they touch raw meat or eggs. Avoid cross-contamination by using a different cutting board for your meat and other ingredients. Make sure you’re cooking to safe temperatures and chilling any leftovers within two hours. For more food safety tips, visit our Food Safety at Home Section.

Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

  2. For easy clean-up, use foil to line a large baking sheet with shallow sides. Lightly oil or spray. Remove skin from chicken only if you wish. Place on foil. In a small bowl, stir Dijon with melted butter and 1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup. Measure out the rosemary, then crumble it into the mustard mixture and mix in. (It’s important to stir rosemary into the coating ingredients and not just sprinkle on top of the chicken because it will dry out.) Then spoon on top of the chicken and spread to cover the entire top of the pieces. Generously sprinkle with salt.

  3. Slice pears into quarters and remove the cores. Brush all over with remaining maple syrup and place around the chicken. Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and nutmeg.

  4. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until chicken feels springy when pressed and an instant read thermometer reaches 165°F (74°C). Check chicken at the half hour mark. If it it seems to be drying out, brush with pan juices. If it is getting too brown, lay a piece of foil loosely over top.

Helpful Tip

Consider roasting the rest of your meal along with the chicken and pears. Before prepping the chicken, slice baking potatoes in half and place in the pre-heated oven along with a dish of cut-up carrots or squash. These could be baked on the rack below the chicken. Switch it Up: Replace the rosemary in the coating with dried tarragon, dried leaf thyme or herbs de Provence seasonings. Fresh rosemary also works well, but you will need about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of rosemary sprigs. Finely chop them before stirring into the coating. Apples are a fine stand-in for pears but cook faster so check them for doneness at the half hour mark.

Nutrition Info

Per 370 g serving Amount
Calories420
Protein61 g
Fat7 g
Saturated Fat3 g
Carbohydrate24 g
Fibre3 g
Sugar17 g
Cholesterol160 mg
Sodium410 mg
Per 370 g serving % Daily Value
Potassium26
Calcium4
Iron10
Vitamin A4
Vitamin C10
Vitamin B684
Vitamin B1251
Folate6
Zinc26