I was having a serious sugar craving today. Epic proportions. I actually considered heading to the garage to raid the hidden cauldron of leftover Halloween candy. What? You don’t keep the leftover unwanted chocolate for a sweet tooth attack? Just in case? No? That’s just me? Oh. Well, forget I mentioned it then. Aside from the embarrassment of anyone (ahem…my husband) stumbling upon me ravenously consuming candy amid the boxes of the garage, I have additional motivation to show a little willpower. I’m heading to Hawaii soon to visit my best friend (who moved there 6 months ago and I miss terribly and cannot WAIT to see her!) and so I reigned in the monstrous cravings and set about to find a suitable substitute that I could call dinner.
Enter this divine chicken recipe which features amazing caramelized brown sugar and garlic. I’ll bet you have everything you need already in your house. It’s super simple ingredient list only added to my excitement.
Saute a little garlic in some hot olive oil.
Then quickly stir in the brown sugar and mix it all together and pour over some salt/peppered chicken breasts in a dish lined with foil. Very important to line your dish with foil. Unless you like scraping cement like pieces of hardened sugar from your pans.
A little bake time in the oven and then a little broil time (imagine it’s basking on the white sandy beaches of Hawaii) to get it nice and golden. Voila. Dinner is done.
Perfectly moist and tender. Sweet bits of caramelized sugar and the roasty baked goodness of garlic. Quenched my sweet tooth just right. Mmmmmmmmmm.
Baked Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
adapted from Food.com
adapted from Food.com
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper
dried parsley (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons olive oil
salt and pepper
dried parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a casserole dish with foil.
In small sauté pan over medium heat, sauté garlic with the oil until tender (1-3 minutes)
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper (and parsley if desired) and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
Bake uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes.
Change oven to medium broil and broil chicken for an additional 5 minutes or until the top is golden and interior is 160 degrees.
In small sauté pan over medium heat, sauté garlic with the oil until tender (1-3 minutes)
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper (and parsley if desired) and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
Bake uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes.
Change oven to medium broil and broil chicken for an additional 5 minutes or until the top is golden and interior is 160 degrees.
Bakerlady 
This was a moist and flavorful chicken dish. I seasoned the breasts well with onion powder, salt, pepper a bit of garlic powder and the parsley flakes. I used a butter and olive oil mixture to saute the minced garlic. In addition, I had heard the chicken, as is, was a bit bland, so I added some soy sauce (1 TBSP) and some fresh micro-planed ginger. I liked that the garlic caramelized on top–I did not need to put it under a broiler. It took 22 minutes to cook to perfection. Great recipe and I will make it again!