Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

I love the tangy sweet flavor of honey mustard.  On the rare occasion that I eat chicken nuggets/tenders, I prefer to dip them in honey mustard instead of ketchup.  There's a restaurant where we sometimes eat that serves a delicious warm honey mustard salad dressing.  Mmmm!  I'm getting hungry!

This recipe for Honey Mustard Baked Chicken caught my attention because of how quickly it's on the table.  Our busy family of five requires meals like that on most any night.

I found this recipe in a cookbook called "The Deen Brothers Take It Easy."  If you are familiar with Paula Deen, then you know who these guys are.  Paula's sons have been in the restaurant business with her for quite a while now and they even had their own show on the Food Network.  They have published more than one cookbook and I enjoy their perspective of the kitchen compared to their mother's.  They like a few, shall we say, "healthier" dishes than their butter-loving mother does.  And now that one of the Deen brothers is a father, he includes fun little anecdotes about kid-friendly food.  Check them out at the library or look them up on Amazon.  (not a paid endorsement)

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken
Here's What You Need:
3 Tablespoons honey mustard
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato paste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt/pepper, to taste

Here's What You Do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey mustard, olive oil and tomato paste. 

I know this is a really small amount of tomato paste to open up a can for.  Here's what I do when I need only part of a can.  I put a small piece of waxed paper on a plate and scoop the remaining tomato paste out in 1 Tablespoon spoon globs and place them on the waxed paper.  Pop it into the freezer and once they are frozen solid, pop the globs into a freezer bag or container and keep there until the next time you only need 1-2 Tablespoons of this yummy stuff!

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on the baking sheet.  Slather the honey mustard glaze over the chicken and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the juices run clear.