You know how they had it all over the news that MSNBC interrupted a congresswomen to to give a “breaking” news report on the arrest on Justin Bieber. Well I didn’t really care much for the story nor do I care about whether Justin Bieber got arrested or not. Anyway, so my daughter (who is still in kindergarten) comes home and tells me ” mommy do you know Justin Bieber got arrested”. I’m like oh my gosh! are you serious? I can’t believe my little daughter is already into celebrity gossip. It’s crazy what kids pick up these days!
I know your probably all wondering, “hey what about the chicken?!” well I’m getting there..
So I saw this Black Pepper Maple Glazed Chicken recipe had to make it. I’m one of those type of people that once I see something I keep craving it until I have it.
The original recipe did not have potatoes but I added them because I don’t like having chicken just like that. I need some “veggies” so I can feel good while eating. The black pepper and maple flavor was amazing. I’ve made other maple glazed chicken recipes before but this was different because of the simplicity of the taste. The Maple was basically the king of the dish and the black pepper gave the sweetness a nice bold flavor.
I used a whole chicken and cut it into 4ths but you can roast the chicken whole as well. Also, if you have chicken thighs or drumsticks on hand that works great as well. The potatoes are optional and can be replaced with carrots if desired. 
Recipe adapted from food and wine
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound chicken cut in 1/4th or 8 drumsticks or thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- Coarsely ground pepper
- 1 cup sliced sweet or regular potatoes I used a mixture of both
- 2 medium onions halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the maple syrup and 2 teaspoons of coarsely ground pepper. Remove the glaze from the heat.
- On a large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet, toss the sliced onions and potatoes with the olive oil. Season the onions with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer. Season the chicken inside and out with salt, then arrange on top of the onions.
- Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Brush the chicken all over with half of the maple glaze and continue roasting for 1 hour longer. Increase the oven temperature to 425°. Generously brush the chicken with the remaining glaze and roast for 15 minutes longer, or until the cavity juices run clear and the chickens are richly browned.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
