Orange-Honey-Mustard Baked Chicken Breasts

Company for dinner tonight, so I'm making an Orange-Honey-Mustard Baked Chicken Breasts recipe I found at http://www.chow.com/recipes/30560-orange-honey-mustard-baked-chicken-breasts and then adapted a little to accommodate my dietary restrictions (lower salt, no dairy).

John and I leave tomorrow morning for a road trip.  He is making his final decision about where to go for his PhD in astrophysics.  We'll be driving to Madison, Wisconsin, then he'll be flying from there to visit Arizona State University in Tempe.  Then back 'home' to Pasadena to finish up his last quarter at Caltech.  I'll be driving back to Evansville by my lonesome on Thursday.   We're hoping to see Sasha in Beloit on our way to Madison.

For tonight's dinner I'm planning to serve the chicken breasts with steamed green beans and mashed potatoes (mashed cauliflower for me), and with fruit for dessert.

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into serving-sized pieces

About 1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest (from about 2 oranges)

1 cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion or shallot

3 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)

2 Tbsp soy free Earth Balance buttery spread, at room temperature

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Make sure a rack is in the middle position.

Season the chicken with 2/3 salt and all the pepper.  Set aside.

Place the orange zest, juice, onion or shallot, honey, and remaining salt in a large cast-iron skillet (or other oven-safe frying pan), whisk to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium, continue whisking, and simmer until reduced by almost half, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and whisk in the mustards.  Add the reserved chicken, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, and bake until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter and tent with foil.  Whisk the buttery spread into the sauce, a little at a time, until all is melted and sauce is ready.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Nutritional information: 6 servings, per serving = 378.5 calories, 11.8 g fat, 130 mg cholesterol, 702 mg sodium, 14 g carbs, .3 g dietary fiber, 50.5 g protein