Fast Oven-Barbecued Chicken

By mytastytreasures

Use REAL maple syrup and the lighter molasses for this bit of summer in the winter recipe. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespon vegetable oil
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons mild molasses
• 2 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 325 and place rack 6 inches from broiler element.

2. Seasonn and brown chicken. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat till just smoking. Brown chicken lightly on both sides until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.

3. Make sauce: Whisk ketchup, vinergar,molasses, onion, worcestershire,mustard, maple syrup, chili powder, and cayenne together. Discard any oil left in skillet and add sauce mixture. Return skillet to medium heat and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom, until sauce is thick and glossy and spatula leaves a clear trail in sauce, about 4 minutes.

4. Bake chicken with sauce. Off heat, return chicken to skillet, discarding any accumulated juices, and coat chicken well with sauce. Turn chicken smooth side up and spoon extra sauce on top to create a thick coating. Bake until thickest part registers 130 on instant read thermometer. 10 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it.

5. Broil chicken. Turn oven to broil and continue to cook until thickest part of breast registers 160 on instant read thermometer. Transfer chicken to small platter and sauce to bowl. Season your extra sauce with salt and pepper as desired. Serve.