Sweet 'n' Hot Chicken

Chicken thighs coated in warm (not spicy hot!) spices and nestled in a bed of carrots, peppers and mushrooms with a soothing sauce of honey and lemon juice. It's another Quick Supper and to minimize dishes, a One-Pot Supper too. Perfect for taking the chill off cool evenings year-round.

During a cold snap last spring when May wore the mitt of March, I thumbed through some cold-weather recipes tucked into a thick Cook Now folder. This recipe caught my attention, perfect, I thought, for a chilly night – and so it was.

It’s a one-pot meal, meat and vegetables all in the same dish. The honey provides the sweet, the spice rub the hot (though honestly, it's more "warm" than "hot"). After simmering for 30 minutes, there’s still plenty of sauce left to soak into rice or potatoes or for dipping bread.

The underlying flavor reminds me of my mother’s midnight remedy for childhood coughs, hot water with lemon juice and honey. It soothed the throat, letting everyone get back to sleep.

Years later at university, I slept with sixty girls in a cold-air dorm with the windows cracked, even in winter, to meet fire regulations. When one girl coughed hard in the night, 59 girls struggled to sleep.

Remembering Mom’s ministration, I’d tear myself out from under the electric blanket to scamper across the bone-chilling floor for a mug of hot-hot water. "Drink this," I’d whisper to the often still-sleeping girl. "It’ll help your throat." Soon the dorm would turn silent, sixty girls again deep in sleep.

Some chilly evening this winter, soothe your family with this delicious and healthful chicken dish.

ALANNA's TIPS Chicken thighs have more flavor and are often less expensive than chicken breasts. That said, this dish is also good made with the more easily available breasts. For easier measuring, warm the honey in the microwave in 15 second bursts. I usually chop the vegetables in big, identifiable pieces but if you like, chop them quite small for a sort of vegetable hash.

QUICK SUPPER:
SWEET ’n’ HOT CHICKEN

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 8

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (see ALANNA’s TIPS)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (if needed)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut in diagonal slices
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons)
• 1/4 cup honey (see TIPS)
• 1 teaspoon salt

• Chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmery in a Dutch oven on medium high. Meanwhile, combine spices and coat the thighs. Brown the meat, in batches if needed not to crowd, transfer to plate.

If fat remains in the pan, remove all but 1 tablespoon, otherwise add 1 tablespoon olive oil. As they’re cut, add onions, carrots, red pepper and mushrooms and cook until onions are golden. Nestle thighs into vegetable mixture.

Mix water, lemon juice, honey and salt and pour over. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 30 minutes.

To serve, garnish with cilantro.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 256 Calories; 8g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 23g Carb; 4g Fiber; 879mg Sodium; 94mg Cholesterol; 25g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Pints 5 & PointsPlus 7 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with reductions in portion size and increases in no-calorie spices and fiber-rich vegetables.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

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