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WHY have I been sitting on the recipe for roasted chicken and vegetables with maple-mustard sauce for so long?  While it sounded tasty enough to cut out, it didn't necessarily strike me with the must-make-this-immediately pang that I (embarrassingly?) often experience.  Well, I was way wrong and have been seriously missing out. 

We have long enjoyed roasting chicken to juicy goodness and veggies till they are browned and sweet.   It hasn't occurred to me to add a sauce since, if well seasoned, this dish lacks nothing.   From now on, it lacks mustard-maple sauce.  This flavor combo evoked giddiness equal to first witnessing the marriage of roasted broccoli with honey balsamic dressing.   Sweet + savory + anything roasted = something special.

What is particularly awesome is how very simple this is.  Equal parts Dijon mustard and maple syrup are whisked and drizzled over the finished plate.  No fuss; no science. 

What is less than awesome is that the only home picture I have of this deliciousness is a meager, picked-over pile of veggies on the tray.  (I say "picked over" since we unashamedly devour the most scrumptiously caramelized morsels first.) I haven't been as good about snapping photos of plates just-in-case-they're-delicious as of late.   And with this meal, I don't believe any of us came up for air until it was too late anyway.



So I beg your forgiveness for the lack of original pictorial inspiration. Thanks for the stock recipe photo, Real Simple.



Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Maple-Mustard Sauce (click here for recipe)

This was a weeknight event for us, which didn't allow sufficient time to roast a whole bird.  So we used bone-in breasts and adjusted the cooking time down.  We also omitted celery, which ranks fairly low on roast-worthy veggies as far as I'm concerned.  So this recipe is easy AND flexible.  Do it!