Dark Days Challenge: Honey Baked Chicken, Collards, and Apples & Squash

Can I just say, this was the most delicious meal I’ve had in awhile?

This Dark Days Challenge thing is harder than I thought it would be. Before I started this challenge, I thought I had the eating local thing down pat. What I didn’t realize was, how very hard it is to have every. single. ingredient local. So many times, the sides are mostly local, but the meat isn’t. Or the meat is, but the sides aren’t. Or I have a meal planned for Sunday night, and something comes up.

So I decided to make the meal during the week instead of trying to do it on the weekend. I made honey baked chicken from More With Less, Nana’s Collard Greens from myrecipes.com, and Baked Apples and Squash from Simply in Season.

The honey-baked chicken turned out to be so incredibly delicious that DH ate four pieces and I swear would have licked up the sauce had it not been for the stoneware I baked it in still being hot. Who would have thought that honey, curry, mustard, and butter could be so delicious? I served it over rice, which was the perfect medium for making sure that I could taste every last drop of the glaze.

The collards were so-so. They tasted sweet, although I’m not sure why. I mistakenly thought I could leave the kale stems attached because it would be simmering for an hour. Nope. They were still a good accompaniment, although I would have preferred one of my other kale recipes. I guess that’s what I get for straying from the Mennonite Trilogy! (Simply in Season, More with Less, and Extending the Table).

Finally, the apples and squash were so sweet they could be considered dessert. DH commented that he really, really likes apples and squash baked together. I have to agree.

Overall, this meal was to die for. I am definitely making the chicken again very soon.

Honey-Baked Chicken

Adapted from More with Less for chicken breasts instead of pieces.

1 3-lb fryer (I used breasts instead, from Byron Center Wholesale Meats)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup honey (Michigan but not sure if it’s from West Michigan, even though we have a bucket of very local honey downstairs for DH’s mead making adventure. Long story.)
2 tbs mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder

1. If using a whole chicken, put in shallow baking pan skin side up. Mix the other ingredients and pour over top. Bake at 350F for 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 minutes.

2. If using chicken breasts, same procedure only bake for about 30 minutes (internal temperature should be 165-175F).

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Nana’s Collard Greens

4 bacon slices (local, from Grassfields)
1 large carrot, chopped (from my winter CSA)
1 large onion, chopped (from my winter CSA)
2 garlic cloves, minced (from my summer CSA)
2 to 3 Tbs balsamic vinegar (from my locally-owned import store)
4 lbs collard greens, chopped and rinsed (I didn’t have enough collards so I also used kale; from my winter CSA)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Cook bacon slices in a Dutch oven until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon.

2. Cook carrot in hot bacon drippings in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until carrot and onion begin to caramelize. It will start to smell good. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add balsamic vinegar, and cook 30 seconds. Add collards, crumbled bacon, broth, and remaining ingredients. It will start to smell REALLY good. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until collards are tender.

Servings: 8

Source: Southern Living, DECEMBER 2003
Web Page: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=554723

Baked Squash and Apples

2 lbs butternut squash peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices (from Artisan Food Express)
3 whole baking apples (from Artisan Food Express)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbs flour
1 tsp salt

Arrange the squash on the bottom of an oblong baking dish. Arrange the apples on top. Mix the other ingredients and sprinkle on top of apples and squash. Cover and bake at 350F until squash is tender, about 40-50 minutes.

Servings: 6. From Simply in Season.

Nutrition Facts for Honey Baked Chicken

Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (4.8 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 269.46
Calories From Fat (44%) 119.42
% Daily Value
Total Fat 13.52g 21%
Saturated Fat 7.28g 36%
Cholesterol 96.06mg 32%
Sodium 524.87mg 22%
Potassium 250.8mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Fiber 0.32g 1%
Sugar 15.53g
Protein 21.5g 43%

Nutrition Facts for Collard Greens

Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (11.3 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 177.68
Calories From Fat (49%) 87.83
% Daily Value
Total Fat 9.85g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.07g 15%
Cholesterol 12.92mg 4%
Sodium 371.17mg 15%
Potassium 526.78mg 15%
Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Fiber 8.77g 35%
Sugar 2.85g
Protein 9.01g 18%

Nutrition facts for Baked Squash and Apples

Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (8.3 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 155.1
Calories From Fat (2%) 2.35
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0.28g <1%
Saturated Fat 0.05g <1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 397.77mg 17%
Potassium 623.78mg 18%
Total Carbohydrates 40.19g 13%
Fiber 4.72g 19%
Sugar 22.36g
Protein 1.84g 4%