Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce

Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce

From World’s Healthiest Foods
Honey mustard sauces go well with many dishes. It is a delicious part of this chicken recipe with the additional nutrition and flavor of the walnuts, apricots and spinach. It is a great way to enjoy the healthy benefits of both chicken and spinach with a rich tasting, yet light sauce that is healthier than other high fat sauces. This recipe works particularly well for WLS eaters because it is protein dense, healthy, flavorful and quick to prepare. I hope you enjoy!

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 ½ TBS honey
2 TBS Dijon mustard
¼ cup sliced dried apricots
2 TBS coarsely chopped walnuts
1 TBS chopped parsley
4 bunches fresh spinach, stems removed and rinsed thoroughly
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until done.
2. While chicken is baking, bring salted water to a boil to cook spinach.
3. While water is coming to a boil, begin sauce. Combine broth, lemon juice, honey, and mustard in a small saucepan. Whisk together and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it comes to a boil, simmer for about 20 minutes. This can be cooking while chicken is baking. You want it to be reduced to a little less than half the volume you start with. This will thicken and intensify the flavor.
4. Add apricots and cook on high for another 5 minutes. When sauce is done add chopped walnuts, parsley, salt and pepper.
5. Cook spinach for only 2 minutes at the most. Drain and press dry. Season with a little salt and pepper. Divide spinach between 4 plates. Slice chicken breast and place over bed of spinach. Spoon sauce over chicken and spinach.

Serves 4

Healthy Cooking Tips: Make sure you cover the chicken when baking so it doesn’t dry out. It is also important to not over cook the chicken. So, it is best to start checking it after about 20 minutes. The center of the breast should read 160 with an instant reading thermometer, and the juices run clear. Do not over cook the breasts, as the flavor will greatly be compromised. By slicing the chicken and laying on the bed of spinach it gives you more surface for the sauce to coat, blending the flavors of the sauce, spinach and chicken.