Honey and Spice and Everything....TASTY!!

There are combinations of flavors that once combined, belong together for life. Peanut butter and chocolate, cinnamon and sugar, italian roast coffee with caramel macchiato creamer. And to round out that list for me, is sweet and heat!

This week our local grocery store had chicken thighs at a pretty low price so I picked up a couple packs. Since starting weight watchers in 2011 I have come to enjoy chicken thighs over chicken breasts because they have more flavor and don't dry out as easily as the breasts do. If my local grocery store doesn't have the skinless ones on sale, I'll buy the regular and de-skin them myself. It really only takes about 3 seconds per thigh.

Anyway...I wanted to use a package of the thighs and wanted to make something with a little spice to it but that was sweet but not too sweet. I made this chicken and paired it with some perfectly roasted red skin potatoes and vegetables and found a new favorite that I'm sure will become part of the regular rotation at my house.

Honey and Spice Chicken Thighs

6-8 chicken thighs, skins removed

1 tspof sea salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to adjust the heat level)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 c. honey

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Mix all dry seasonings together and set aside. Mix apple cider and honey together and set aside.

3) Cover a baking sheet with foil (makes cleanup easier) and spray with a good coating of cooking spray.

4) Lay chicken out on the sheet and rub each piece with the dry rub you've created with the spices. Flip and do the other side. 

5) Spray each chicken piece with a little cooking spray and place in the oven. Cook for 12 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 12 minutes.

6) After you've flipped the chicken and its cooked for the 12 minutes for that side, remove from oven and baste each piece of chicken with the honey mixture. 

7) Place under the broiler and continue to baste the same side every few minutes to allow that honey to "glue" itself to each piece of chicken. 

8) Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute.

*After I pulled the chicken out, I tipped the pan and poured the pan drippings into a small bowl. When plated, I spooned a little bit of the pan sauce on top of each piece of chicken and served with oven roasted potatoes. A nice fresh steamed vegetable or noodle would go great also.