Maple Miso Chicken

Apologies for the delay! Honestly, when the thermometer reaches 100 degrees for several weeks in a row, real recipe planning goes out the door and we eat a lot of simple meals like salads and tacos. But, this little gem was a delicious weeknight meal - with a heavy focus on savory, then salt, and then a little sweet to balance it out. And, I had all the ingredients in my fridge already - love meals that I don't need to shop for!

 
Maple Miso Chicken

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used safflower)

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a bowl (through sesame oil). Add 2/3 of mixture to a large plastic bag with chicken and reserve the other 1/3. Seal and let marinade at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or two). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large cast iron pot on medium heat and warm oil. Add chicken and let cook until browned on one side - about 5-6 minutes, then turn. Brush with some of the reserved glaze. Place in oven and let cook 10 minutes (or until cooked through). Remove from oven and brush with any remaining glaze and enjoy!

I served with a super simple, but super flavorful side of orange tahini broccoli. Here's how it goes:

Orange Tahini Broccoli

1 pound broccoli
3 tablespoons tahini
Zest and juice of one small-ish orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim broccoli into bite-sized florets. Steam broccoli until ready (mine usually takes about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk tahini and orange juice, then set aside. When broccoli is cooked, toss with orange zest and salt and pepper. Drizzle with orange tahini sauce and serve hot!