Maple-glazed Chicken with Veggie Mash

This recipe comes from one of Donna Hay's episodes of Fast, Fresh, Simple that I try to catch on TV whenever I can. I love watching her shows as she makes cooking look so quick and simple, yet the food looks fantastic. Her test kitchen is absolutely clean, neat and spotless, and I wish were one of the lucky people there in the background, testing out recipes. I should look for a job in test kitchens!

This simple chicken cooked with a chilli-maple glaze is exactly that. Subtly sweet and sticky with bits of chilli flakes that surprisingly goes well with the syrup, it's quite delicious. I made a vegetable mash as a side dish to go with it, which is lovely especially when it soaks up some of that maple glaze.

Try making vegetable mash next time. It's a nice change from plain mashed potatoes and a great way to use up leftover bits of vegetables in the fridge. To make the mash, just boil or steam some of your favourite vegetables. I used pumpkin for sweetness, carrots for colour, cauliflower for texture and baby potatoes for some creaminess. You can also try using parsnip, sweet potatoes or any other root vegetables. Then just mash with a fork with some butter, hot milk, salt and cracked black pepper.

Here is the recipe for Donna Hay's Maple-glazed chicken:

Maple-Glazed Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
¼ cup (60ml) water
½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
Roasted parsnips and steamed sugar snap peas, to serve

Method

1. Place the maple syrup, water, chilli, salt and pepper in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken.
3. Cook for 4–5 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce, roasted parsnips and steamed sugar snap peas.