My Greatest Culinary Accomplishment (So Far)

I’ve never been a creative cook; I’ve always had to use a recipe. There's been a slight shift since I started working with Penzey's spices and watching cooking reality/competition shows (Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, The Next Food Network Star, etc.) I’ve become much more adept at improvising, but the recipe below has been my greatest triumph. Give it a try:

Spiced Mango (or Peach) Chicken Thighs

· 3 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb.)
· CAKE SPICE
· 4/S SPECIAL SEASONED SEA SALT
· 1-2 TB. olive oil
· ½ red onion, chopped
· 1 TB. red wine vinegar
· 2 Cups water

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Season both sides with a light layer of 4/S and Cake Spice – just enough to cover. Rub in spices. Heat 1 TB. olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-duty pan big enough to hold the chicken. When hot, add chicken thighs, with the cut-side down first. Cook about 10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes to see how brown the underside is. Adjust the heat up a bit if the chicken isn't brown at all, down a bit if it is already fully brown after 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over after 10 minutes and add red onion. Stir the onions now and then as they carmelize and move the chicken around a bit so the thighs don't stick. If the pan seems dry and the chicken seems to be sticking, add the extra TB. of oil. Usually it won't be needed. After 10 minutes, turn the chicken again, reduce the heat to just under medium, and cook until done, roughly another 10 minutes for a regular-sized thigh, 15-20 for a really big one.

Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter. Pour in the vinegar to deglaze the pan, using a spoon or spatula to scrape up the nice brown bits. Add the water and stir until combined and bubbly brown—about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, bell pepper and mango. Cook until mixture thickens and peppers are soft. Place the chicken on a bed of rice or mashed potatoes and cover everything with the mango pepper mixture.

Tip: It sounds crazy, but if serving over mashed potatoes, add a little Cake Spice to the potatoes for something CRAZY delicious!