Honey Lemon Chicken

It's been much too long since I posted an original recipe, and since that's really what this blog is supposed to be all about, I figured it was time I get my act together.

Last night, I made Honey Lemon Chicken. This recipe sounds good, and in theory, I think it should be good. But it wasn't that good. I can't quite pinpoint why -- could have been that I overcooked the chicken, may have marinated it too long (or used too much lemon), or perhaps I the trusty ol' iron skillet would have been a better choice than the broiler.

Whatever it was, last night's dish was just average. But, like many of my recipes, I believe this one has great potential; it's just not quite there yet.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each, already thawed)
• The juice from one lemon
• A few tablespoons of honey (2 to 3 per piece of chicken)
• A few squirts of olive oil (don't go crazy 'cause we'll be using more later)
• A touch of cumin (less than a teaspoon unless you want your chicken to smell like B.O.)
• Kosher salt (a pinch or two)
• Freshly ground black peper

Directions:

1. In a good sized bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and cumin.
2. Marinate both pieces of chicken in the lemon/honey mixture for about 10 to 15 min (but absolutely no more than 20).
   
3. Use tongs to place each chicken breast on a broiling pan, and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
4. Place under the broiler (two slots away from the top) for about 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken breasts over and broil for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove the boiling pan, and move the rack up to the closest spot near the broiler.
7. Flip the chicken back over and drizzle with olive oil.
8. Place back under the broiler for another 3 to 5 minutes (the idea here is to get a nice sear on the surface of the meat.).
   
9. Let the meat rest a good 5 minutes before serving (if you don't rest your meat, you might as well not even bother cooking it).
10. Say a prayer.
11. Eat and enjoy!
    

After-thoughts:

The internal temperature of poultry should be about 165 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be safe. If you get much past 170 though, the chicken will probably be a bit dry. My chicken was well past 170 by the time I finished step 8, and that might have been why I wasn't thrilled with the dish.

You might consider, broiling for only about 7 minutes on each side before doing step 8. Just be sure your instant read thermometer says the chicken is safe (you'd better have an instant read thermometer -- it's a culinary essential).

Another option might be to sear the chicken in an iron skillet. The chicken I cooked was a little bland. Cooking it in a skillet would help keep what little fat there is (from the chicken itself and from the olive oil) in the chicken breast, rather than having it drip down into the broiling pan.

Some of you might be tempted to suggest marinating the chicken longer, because generally, the longer you marinate something, the more the flavorful that something will ultimately be. In this case though, I wouldn't recommend it. Citrus tends to break meat down quickly, and if you marinate it too long, the result will be a curiously strong, citrus flavored chicken (trust me, I marinated the chicken for an hour once, and it was definitely not good).

Other than that, I'm not sure what else to try, so your comments are definitely welcome.