Chicken Tonight, Honey?

By Rowann Gilman

September. Goodbye green leaves. Ta-ta summer Fridays. Farewell, flip-flops. Santa stops by in three months. What’s September good for, anyway? Think chicken. And honey. September is National Chicken Month and National Honey Month—a lucky thing for you because they team up beautifully and healthfully.

We know chicken pretty much inside out, but honey’s a little more mysterious. If you want to know how flower pollen becomes thick, luscious liquid, there’s a world of knowledge to be had on the web. But just to get you started, consider this: Honey contains plenty of anti-oxidants as well as trace amounts of a variety of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Even those trace amounts add to your overall intake of nutrients because that “other” sweetener, refined sugar, offers no nutrients at all. Dieting? A tablespoon of honey is a mere 64 calories, but because it is naturally sweeter than sugar, you need a lot less of it to satisfy your sweet tooth. The real excitement, though, comes from the many honey choices you can experiment with. Some are light, some are dark; some are flowery-flavored and some are strong and pungent. There are about 300 different kinds of honey in the U.S. alone, each with its own, individual flavor profile. It all depends on which flowers and plants our honeybees have been gathering from.

Once you find your preferred honeys, just keep them stored at room temperature, Yes, they will crystallize—it’s only natural. But you can enjoy honey in its crystalline form anyway—just scoop it up and spread it on a piece of toast, or into your teacup. If you insist on having your honey see-through clear, simply submerge the jar in a bowl of warm water and the crystals will dissolve.

There is bad news among the good, however. For a completely unknown reason, thousands and thousands of honeybees are disappearing from our planet. Speculations include everything from global warming to plain old stress, but even the experts are stymied. Why is it so important? When bees collect the nectar they make into honey, they also pollinate every flower, plant and tree they select. Almost every source we rely on for sustenance (and that includes the grass our cows and sheep consume), demands cross-pollination. Pollen collects on the furry backs of the honeybees, and when they zzzzz over to the next flower, it makes contact with the ‘necessary equipment.’ Without cross-pollination, nearly every food we eat will slowly dwindle to nothing. If you want to find out more about the honeybee crisis, visit www.honey.com and www.nhb.org (the website of the National Honey Board). In addition, Haagen Dazs – which is committed to the environmental and other potential effects of losing our most extensive source of pollination – has an entertaining, information-packed, how-you-can-help website, www.helpthehoneybees.com. Don’t forget to make a stop at www.nationalchickencouncil.com, either. You’ll find hundreds of recipes, information about how to register for the famous annual chicken cooking contest, and just about everything you want to know about the pullet. Alas, though, there is no answer to the eternal conundrum: was the chicken or the egg first?

To see just how tastily chicken and honey work together, try these luscious recipes. They’ll keep you crowing and buzzing all September.

Recipes:

CHICKEN AND HONEY-NUT STIR-FRY (Serves 2 to 4)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into1-inch slices
2 stalks celery, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices
½ cup cashews or peanuts
Steamed rice for serving, optional

1. Cut the chicken into strips about ½-ich wide; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger; mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and celery; stir-fry about 3 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.
4. Pour remaining oil into the wok or skillet and add the chicken strips. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Return vegetables to the wok; add the sauce mixture and the nuts. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened. Serve over hot, steamed rice, if desired.

CHICKEN FAJITA GRILL with AVOCADOS and HONEY-CORN CAKES (Serves 4)

1 or 2 lemons
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ to ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 avocados
12 honey-corn cakes (recipe follows)
Chopped cilantro to taste (optional)
Sliced red bell pepper (optional)
Peeled, thinly sliced assorted citrus fruits (optional)

1. Grate the lemon zest, avoiding the bitter white pith, until you have about 2 tablespoons.
2. Squeeze the lemons to yield about 2 tablespoons of juice.
3. Mix the lemon zest and juice with the honey, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Pour the mixture over the chicken, turning the chicken breasts every now and then to evenly coat them. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and pour the marinade mixture over the chicken, turning them to coat. Cover the bowl and let chicken marinate, refrigerated, for 8 to 10 hours. Preheat a grill and place chicken over hot coals, or under the broiler.
4. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, for 8 to 10 hours. Preheat a grill and place chicken over medium-hot coals, or under a broiler in a foil-lined pan. Cook five to eight minutes on each side, or under a foil-lined pan. Place the chicken over medium-hot coals for 5 to eight minutes one each side, basting with the marinade, or until the chicken is cooked but not dry.
5. Cut the avocados in half and slice them lengthwise. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise. Arrange the chicken and avocado slices on a serving platter with the Honey-Corn Cakes. If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro, red bell pepper strips, and slices of citrus fruit.

CARIBBEAN HONEY-SPICED CHICKEN WITH MANGO (Serves 4)

¼ cup honey
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 medium ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 small onion, peeled and cut in quarters
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons garlic salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground allspice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest; whisk until well blended. Remove ¼ cup of the mixture to a food processor; set aside.
3. Add mango to the honey-lemon mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the remaining ingredients.
4. Add the onion, jalapeños, paprika, oil, garlic salt, cinnamon, pepper, and allspice to the honey-lemon mixture in the food processor.
5. Process until all of the ingredients are very finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a small rubber spatula if necessary.
6. Evenly spread the mixture over both sides of the chicken breasts. Pour the remaining oil into a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and arrange the chicken breasts in the oil.
7. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and top with the reserved mango.

On the side:

Honey-Corn Cakes (Makes 12 to 14 corn cakes)

¼ cup honey
2 cans (15¼-ounces each) corn kernels, drained
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon garlic salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-size bowl.
2. Lightly coat a skillet with olive oil and heat until medium-hot. Pour the corn cake batter into the skillet by 1/3 cup measures, and cook for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side.

Rowann Gilman is a food writer based in New York City.