Maple Turmeric Chicken
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Published Oct 26, 2017, Updated Sep 12, 2023
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Perfectly sweet and savory, this maple turmeric chicken is a delicious way to give your body an extra anti-inflammatory boost. Great for meal prep! Gluten-free.
Lately I’ve been all about meal prepping and have figured out a batch cooking system that works amazingly well for our needs. Typically I plan 1-2 days a week, one over the weekend and one mid-week, to cook up a few staples that we can use to toss together meals throughout the week. This includes lots of veggies, whole grains and a few protein options.
Chicken seems to be one of our go-to protein options because it’s lean and easy to cook up. Over the summer we make grilled chicken almost weekly (this apple cider vinegar chicken recipe is one of our favs).
But now that fall is here and the weather is getting chilly it makes sense to move our cooking indoors and bust out the good ol’ cast iron skillet. That’s where this recipe comes into play.
Seared chicken cooked in a cast iron skillet is pretty similar to grilled chicken because you still get that crisp exterior, which let’s be real, is the best part.
That said, the exciting thing about this recipe isn’t just the seared factor. It’s the delicious maple turmeric sauce that is used to glaze the chicken while it finishes cooking in the oven. This combo is sweet and savory, with a bonus of anti-inflammatory benefits from the turmeric powder.
It’s such a mouth-watering combo… and it takes less than 20 minutes to cook up. We can’t get enough of it.
Since coming up with the recipe we’ve already made this chicken as part of our weekly meal prep a handful of times and I don’t see an end in sight. It’s such a great protein option for quick salads and bowl meals. Speaking of, be on the lookout for a new salad recipe using this maple turmeric chicken. I’ll be sharing it for Salad Sunday this week!
More Chicken Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
- Easy Grilled Chicken Breast
- Baked Caprese Chicken
Turmeric Maple Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 3 breasts
- 1/2 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Add oil to a cast iron skillet and turn heat on medium/medium-high heat.
- Pat chicken dry and season with sea salt and black pepper. At this point your oil should be hot and the chicken should sizzle when added to the skillet.
- Add all three pieces of chicken to the skillet and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- While chicken is searing combine maple syrup, tamari, garlic, turmeric and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Once both sides of the chicken are seared, carefully pour maple turmeric sauce over chicken and toss to coat.
- Move skillet from the stovetop into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked throughout. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks like a wonderful recipe. What is the oven temperature for baking the chicken?
Oops! Totally left that out. It should be at 400°F. Thanks for noticing. 🙂
This looks great! But I’m confused by the fat/sat fat stats in the nutrition info…
You’re right! The fat and sat fat were a little high. Just put the recipe in the myfitnesspal calculator and updated the stats!
It seems to be pretty easy.
If I get Avacado oil, I will try this in this weekend for sure.
Yay! You can also use coconut oil or olive oil. 🙂
Yum! And I overcooked the chicken. My college-aged son gobbled them up. Love your recipes! Thank you for posting them!
Oh wow, so easy and so addicting- Definitely hits the umami flavor with the salty sweet!
this chicken recipe was awesome and so delicious
I’m so glad you liked it, Farnian!
if i made this with bone in chicken, could i still do sauce at the start or wait until its mostly cooked?
Wow! i made this for a salad and my husband and I could not stop eating it as we were meal prepping. So good and so easy! This will be on our regular rotation for sure!
Yay Ashley. This makes me so happy. So glad that you and your husband liked the maple turmeric chicken. I love it too!
Why is pepper listed twice? Once as 1/8-teas and once as 1/2-teas.
Oops! Thank you for catching that typo. Just updated the recipe.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast? How can I cook this if I don’t have a cast iron skillet?
I think that’d be just fine, the cook time might vary though. And you can use any skillet you have that is oven-safe. 🙂
Absolutely delicious and so easy to whip together! Even my picky non-chicken eating son woofed it down. I paired this with a side of simple brown rice and sauteed spinach. Huge hit with the whole family. I’m making this again. Thank you!!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Emily! I’m glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it. <3
Good recipe and easy. I used honey instead of maple syrup. I liked the flavor. Plus there was extra sauce to dip the chicken in.
Amazing! Can’t get enough of this chicken!
LOVEthis delicous and simple recipe! It has been in our weekly rotation the past few weeks. My 5 y/o who does not like meat, loves it too. Thankyou EBF!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Samantha!! I’m so glad this recipe is a hit. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
The hubby made this tonight, and it was great! Even the 5 year old gave it a thumbs up! We will be adding it to our rotation for sure. 🙂
Yay!! So pumped this recipe was a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Stacy. I so appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe was SOO easy and the flavors were amazing! We cooked up a spaghetti squash and drizzled the excess sauce over that – new weekly rotation at our house!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Stefani. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Another perfect EBF recipe. Easy to make for a weeknight and so delicious. All 3 kids and husband devoured. Even our pickiest eater kept asking for more chicken!
Ahh yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit with your family, Ashlee! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
Would it be okay if I didn’t throw in the oven and just cooked it all on the pan? Any tips? Should I cover the pan? I don’t have an oven safe pan 🙁 and I feel like throwing it on a sheet pan defeats the purpose for cooking it in the juices
Hey Mina – That should be totally fine. I would cook it for 7-10 minutes on one side then flip it and cook it 7-10 minutes more on the other side (depending on how big your chicken breasts are). The outsides should be golden and and bit crispy.
This was delicious and so so easy! Such a great meal prep item too.
This has become my favorite dinner to make this Fall, by far. And it’s SO EASY! I’ve made extra to put over veggies to roast, and then serve with the chicken over rice or quinoa to make a bowl. Also good with salmon!
So glad you’ve been loving this chicken, Kara!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me.
Oh wow this chicken is amazing!!!! Instead of using the sauce mixture as a sauce, I used it as a marinade and let the chicken marinade overnight in the fridge before cooking. Such simple ingredients but so much flavor!!
Woo!! I love hearing that. So glad it was a hit!! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast? How can I make this if I don’t have a iron cast skillet?
Yes, that should be just fine. The cook time might vary though. And you can use any pan that is oven-safe.
Thank you for this recipe – it was amazing- so delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Liz! Thanks for tying it and for the review. I so appreciate it!
easy to make, great flavor. I made with chicken tenders I had on hand. I will definitely be making this again soon!
Woo!! Happy to hear this recipe was a hit, Krista! Thanks for the review and star rating. It means so much to me!
question – how can I swap tofu for chicken?
Oh this is a great idea, I have not tested this marinade with tofu but I am sure it will be delicious. Let me know how it works out if you give it a try!
So good and super easy to make with ingredients I already had. Added leftover chopped chicken to an omelet with spinach and it was so flavourful!
Ohh that is a brilliant idea. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it.
This sauce!! 🤤 Absolutely loved this recipe. I used x4 big boneless skinless chicken thighs and one of my large stainless pans and cooked it a little longer in the oven. It was perfect, I wanted to lick the sauce out of the pan before washing it lol. Thanks Brittany, will be making this one on repeat!
WOO! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Jackie. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
This is my new go-to chicken recipe! So simple to make and so beyond good! Thanks as usual for the amazing recipe!