I copied this recipe out of a book 32 years ago. I was in college, renting a room from a divorced lady who liked to tell me how she and her boyfriend laughed at me. o.O I didn’t stay long. Above you can see the index card I wrote it down on. I have since written over the pencil that was nearly faded.
In those days, I had only just started to really think about cooking meals. I had just gotten engaged to my engineer. In my spare time, I was holed up in my room sewing on my wedding dress. I didn’t know homemade dresses were considered pitiful, but being able to sew would one day be considered an enviable skill. I hadn’t learned yet that butter was bad for me… or learned again that it is really good for me and satisfies the appetite. I didn’t know I was supposed to avoid salt, but really it is salt that keeps all the electricity in my body working. So, in my blissful ignorance, I copied the recipe and followed the directions.
The dish is a combination of easy, fast, and exotic. When people tell me they love curry and rice, but don’t prepare it often because it takes so long, I share this recipe. They come back and thank me. My children have often requested it for their special birthday dinners.
Ingredients:
about 8 chicken thighs – I have never weighed out the chicken or been exact about this, but about 7-9 chicken thighs fit in my 10 x 15 inch baking dishes without being too crowded. I always use pieces with the bone and skin. I think it gives it good flavor and important nutrients. (the original recipe says two 2.0 pound fryers, cut up)
1/2 cup butter, melted – it has to be real butter
1/2 cup honey
1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) prepared mustard – the kind you put on hamburgers or hot dogs, nothing fancy
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder (mine is yellow)
After all the chicken is arranged in the baking dish, skin side up, pour the sauce over it. The sauce is the other 5 ingredients mixed together. It sometimes helps to slightly heat the honey to get it to mix well. A fork works best for me.
I like to cover the baking dish with tin foil for about 3/4 of the cooking time, then take it off until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is getting crispy. (The original recipe said cook it for 1.25 hours at 350°F, and baste every 15 minutes.) With the tin foil cover, I cook it at 400°F for 45 minutes, then remove the tin foil for the last 15 minutes or so. No basting necessary this way.
As you might guess, rice is a good choice to serve with this. The pan juices are a gravy to put on the rice and chicken. We usually serve them right out of the chicken pan, unless we are having company. Then we put our best foot forward and use a gravy boat. 🙂 I have never used flour or cornstarch to thicken it, but it might be worth trying.
If there is any left over, it is best to store the sauce/pan drippings separately from the chicken. The butter and honey form layers when they are left to sit. Left-overs warmed up taste like they just came out of the oven, so this is a great dish for making extra to have an easy meal another day. (I think I forgot to put gravy on the rice before the picture, but I know I had it on there to eat it. Yum!)
