Golden Glazed Chicken

Four ingredients, almost no prep, real flavor. This is the kind of weeknight dinner you throw together on autopilot: onions in the dish, chicken breast on top, sauce poured over, into the oven.

The clever shortcut is doctoring a jar of stir-fry sauce with a tablespoon of curry powder. That one addition turns a plain bottled sauce into something warm and aromatic that bakes down into a glossy, golden glaze.

The bed of sliced onions does double duty: it keeps the chicken from sticking and slowly softens into sweet, jammy strands that soak up the sauce underneath.

Basting two or three times during baking is the step worth doing; it lacquers the chicken in layers so the glaze deepens in both color and flavor.

Serve it over rice to catch the sauce, with the soft onions spooned alongside.

Kitchen Tips

• Baste the chicken a few times as it bakes so the glaze builds up glossy and deep.
• Don’t overbake; pull the breasts as soon as they’re no longer pink to keep them juicy.
• Bone-in or thigh pieces stay even more tender if you have the extra cooking time.

Variations

• Use teriyaki, hoisin, or sweet chili sauce in place of the stir-fry sauce.
• Add bell pepper strips or pineapple chunks to the dish.
• Bump up the curry powder, or add a pinch of cayenne, for more heat.