Spring: Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs

I was over-joyed the week before last when I drove by my favorite local farm stand and I saw the first asparagus of the season!  I feel so blessed to live in Bucks county surrounded by small farms.  I love watching for the first asparagus, spring onions, strawberries, radishes, and lettuce each year.  They always taste like spring to me. 

I needed a main dish to go with my asparagus, and I remembered a recipe in the May 2011, "Cooking Light" magazine that I wanted to try.  I always keep an eye out for recipes that are super easy and do not require a lot of ingredients.  I am so busy with my 14 month old twins, and my husband comes home late a lot of nights, so I have to be realistic about what I can accomplish at dinner time!  This recipe fit the bill.  It was also in the "Feed 4 for Less than $10" section of the magazine, so that's even better!  I did not freeze it, but it is so similar to a lot of my Secret Chef recipes, that I am confident you could freeze the chicken (in the marinade) in a ziplock bag.

Here is the recipe (from May 2011 , "Cooking Light" Magazine):
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons lower-sodium soysauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned*
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
cooking spray

*I only had boneless, skinless chicken thighs so I used those, and it was fine

1.  Combine first 9 ingredients. Place half of the mixture in a zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining mixture.  Add chicken to bag; seal.  Chill 2 hours.
2.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
3.  Remove chicken from bag. Sprinkle chicken with salt.  Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until done.  Serve with reserved mustard mixture.