Out of the ordinary gorgeousness (Pepper Jelly Chicken with caramelized peaches and sweet potato)

I've been spending a lot of time browsing over at Epicurious.  I just love browsing there.  The website is designed in a pleasing way and they always have something right up my alley.  I subscribe to their daily emails for inspiration.  

One day they sent an email and the only word I saw was caramelized.  It is one of my favorite food words.  I assumed they were talking about onions, but no, they were talking about peaches.  Holy yum!  The ingredients all sounded weird together but I decided to give it a whirl anyway, I had some homemade pepper jelly from my sweet friend Mary Katherine in the fridge that just had to be put to a better use than the last time I tried to cook with it (that fail post has still not been published!)

This smelled so good while it was in the oven.  Even though this is a summer dish with the peaches and my farmers market had sweet potatoes all summer, this will fill your home with the wonderful scents of fall.  And it looks damn fancy on the plate.  Trust, even though this sounds weird, it is sooooo good.  The coconut oil really makes a difference in the flavor so do not sub for that.  Full recipe after the montage.   Linking up with Meal Plan Monday, click on over and check it out!

One of the fancier platings I have done recently!

The cast.  The original called for bone in chicken but I used boneless out of my freezer.  Just fine!

Some really beautiful color on these ingredients!

Mix up your marinade.  I did not follow directions and used cold maple syrup. It still came out fine,

Place the majority on the sweet potatoes

And what is left on the peaches.

After the sweet potatoes have gone for awhile, add the onions for a spin.

Season your chicken.

Add the peaches and the optional garlic.  Garlic is never optional in my house.

Sear your chicken in a hot pan.

Once seared, add a tablespoon of pepper jelly to each.

Peaches and sweet potatoes are ready!

Plate, sauce and garnish. Excuse the shadow!

Pepper Jelly Chicken With Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and Peaches (inspired by Epicurious)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, room temperature (if it is cold, the coconut oil will solidify on contact)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 medium peaches, pitted and sliced into 4 wedges each
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Sea salt and black pepper or seasoned salt

4 tablespoons pepper jelly 

Juice of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  In a small bowl, whisk the coconut oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Put the potato and peaches in 2 separate bowls. Pour three quarters of the syrup mixture over the sweet potato and one-quarter over the peaches and toss. Spread the potato in an even layer in a large baking dish and roast for 10 minutes. Toss the potato and roast for 5 minutes more. Add the onion and roast for 15 minutes. Toss the potato and onion, add the peaches in an even layer, sprinkle with garlic and roast 10 minutes, or until the potato and onion are fork tender and the peaches have caramelized.

Pat the chicken dry and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and arrange the chicken thighs inside  Brown the chicken on one side,  about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken thighs and brown for 6 to 10 minutes.  Lower heat to medium-low and spoon a quarter of the pepper jelly over each thigh. Melt the jelly over the chicken and on all sides, using tongs to flip and swirl the thighs in the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the jam to form a glaze. Remove the thighs to a serving plate and spoon the glaze on top. Scrape up any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan—these will be the crispiest and the first to go!  Just before serving, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the chicken to brighten its flavors and heighten the sweetness and spice. Serve with Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and Peaches.

Happy Cooking!

Missy