fig chicken

Remember last week when I told you I had plans for that fig + thyme jam?! Well, here's one thing I did with it...

I made a glaze and smothered it on some chicken breasts and baked it in the oven. This sauce, glaze, whatever you want to call it is so simple to make. It's got the gooey sweetness from the fig jam and some tang from mustard and a little apple cider vinegar. It's the perfect sweet savory balance for a weeknight meal. 

The first time I made the glaze was for Easter dinner. I smothered it all over my ham - heaven on earth! There's something special that happens when fig comes into play with a savory dish. 

This sauce would pair well with ham, pork loin, chicken, or turkey. I'm not a big seafood eater but I would imagine a fish like Salmon would pair really well with this glaze too. 

figgy glaze

adapted and inspired by Claire Robinson

yields almost a cup of sauce (enough for a half ham or 10 chicken breasts)

Ingredients:

½ c. fig + thyme jam

¼ c. mustard (I used yellow to make it yeast free, I would recommend dijon)

3 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. brown sugar

In a small sauce pan combine all your ingredients. Stir for a few minutes until the mixture is warmed through and the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. Once it's at room temperature spread on your favorite meat. 

In this case I did chicken breasts and baked in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes. 

improv style:

the first time i made this i added ¼ c. bourbon to the sauce. i know some of you who read this probably think i'm an alcoholic but i really believe that it adds a depth to the sauce. if it weren't for being yeast free i would recommend adding bourbon or brandy to the sauce. you can also use any type of mustard you like... grain, dijon, spicy, etc... you could try substituting the apple cider vinegar with balsamic which would play nicely here really it's about building a sauce/glaze/marinade to your taste... like it spicy? add some spice in the form of cayenne, sriracha, spicy mustard, etc... not a fan of mustard? i'm not usually either but in sauces like this i really love the complexity and tang it gives. you can leave it out and substitute a little stock or water to thin down the sauce.