Spicy-Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs

I saw this recipe for the honey brushed chicken thighs in the March issue of Cooking Light and subsequently read several rave reviews about it on my cooking board. The reviews were right, this recipe was not only really good but very easy. Also, aside from the chicken, the ingredients are things I always have on hand. I would note the thighs took much longer to cook than the times given in the recipe. The only thing I might change next time is to use chicken tenders, as chicken thighs are not my favorite. I also made a slow cooker macaroni and cheese and sauteed spinach with garlic to accompany the dinner. The macaroni and cheese was simple to make and had good flavor. You don't even have to precook the macaroni for this recipe. I've been trying different macaroni and cheese recipes in an attempt to find the perfect one. I really like creamy macaroni and cheese and haven't found a recipe like that yet. I've made recipes from both Martha Stewart and Paula Deen. Both were good but not quite what I was looking for. This slow cooker recipe was also good but more like a baked macaroni and cheese casserole.

Spicy-Honey Braised Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.

Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs)

Extra-Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese
Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook

1 8 oz package shredded Italian three-cheese blend
1 8 oz package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (this was not original to the recipe, I added it)
8 oz small shell pasta (2 1/4 cups) uncooked

Combine cheeses in a bowl and set aside.

Whisk together eggs and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in pasta and 3 cups cheese mixture. Pour mixture into lightly greased 3 quart slow cooker; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Sprinkle servings evenly with remaining cheese mixture. Makes 6-8 servings.

For the wilted spinach, I sauteed 1 clove garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 2 minutes. I then added the fresh spinach and cooked until wilted.