An important part of creating a tasty dish is balancing and complimenting flavors and textures. Dishes that take combinations to a bit of an extreme score high in this house. Take french bread: super crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside – french bread knows no stranger in our home.

My favorite flavor combination is sweet and spicy. The spiciness of a dish is usually a pleasant surprise – the initial sweetness slowly overtaken and replaced by a subtle warming. Sweet and spicy come in many forms, one of my favorites being Grilled Honey Peppers (cream cheese and honey whipped until fluffy, piped into a jalapeno pepper, and grilled until oozy… stay tuned – these only make an appearance at summer cook-outs). When I ran across a recipe rave for Cooking Light’s Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs on the cooking forum I frequent, I knew that the chances were pretty slim that we wouldn’t enjoy them.

The chicken bakes under the broiler, singing the higher areas and creating a nice crispy coating. The spices marry with the honey into a sweet and (wait for it…) spicy dish. Served alongside oven-roasted asparagus and garlic-parmesan risotto, the sweet and spicy allowed the flavorful dark meat to shine.

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

Juicy chicken thighs broiled with a sweet & sour marinade.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken thighs, coating well.
3. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
4. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, microwave for 15 seconds, and stir well.
5. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/2 the honey-cider mixture onto the chicken.
6. Broil 2 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and turn over.
7. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 2 additional minutes or until chicken is done.

Notes

Yields: 4 servings

Adapted from Cooking Light

Estimated time: 20 minutes