spicy honey-brushed chicken

Andy and I have been on a spicy foods kick lately, so last night I made spicy honey-brushed chicken with green bean casserole (recipe on the back of fried onions) and spicy diced potatoes. This meal would serve four comfortably, and was super easy to prep but involved a lot of attention while cooking.

I used breasts instead of thighs and diced potatoes instead of homestyle slices, but other than that I followed both recipes to a T.

okay, maybe that's not true. I used a pretty heavy hand with the chili powder and ground red pepper. 

Since green bean casserole is easy peasy, I had that cooking in the oven while I prepped the chicken and potatoes. I turned the broiler on once the casserole was almost done (it still needed the fried onion topping). I pulled the casserole out, covered it, then focused all my attention on cooking the chicken and potatoes. I was really nervous about broiling the chicken, but I cut each breast into smaller pieces and used a thermometer to check the internal temperatures of each piece (some were thicker than others). Once the chicken was done I turned the oven back to 350 and added the onions to the top of the casserole. 

The chicken was deliciously spicy with a hint of sweetness from the honey glaze. The potatoes were so spicy that I coughed every time I lifted the lid to stir them, but they were still incredible. I put a dollop of sour cream on my plate and it was the perfect "dip" for both the potatoes and the chicken. The creaminess of the casserole also helped tone down the spice. 

If you're not into spicy foods but your spouse is, try my sour cream trick. OR don't double the amount of chili powder and ground red pepper. :)

one last thing - if you aren't a fan of microwaved leftovers, try lowering the power setting. It'll take longer to cook, but it will cook more evenly and thoroughly. (thanks to my big sister, I can now stomach - and enjoy - leftover chicken!)