This new find from the September 2011 issue of Everyday Food is a perfect weeknight meal. Grill chicken breasts and onion slices, basting them toward the end of cooking with a tasty honey-mustard sauce.

Baste grilled chicken with honey-mustard sauce

Here’s a trick for grilling onions so that the rings don’t separate and fall through the barbecue rack when you flip them: Secure the rings with toothpicks or bamboo skewers. I use 2 toothpicks for each slice; just insert them on opposite sides of the slice. Be sure to remove the toothpicks before serving.

Grilling brings out the sweetness of onions

Serve with a spinach and tomato salad dressed with sherry vinegar and olive oil. If you don’t have sherry vinegar, use balsamic or rice vinegar.

Toss spinach and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use mustard and vinegar that do not contain sodium benzoate or sulfites.

Grilled honey-mustard chicken with onion and spinach salad

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

4 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon honey

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds total)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½ -inch rounds

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 cups baby spinach (5 ounces)

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. In a small bowl, stir together mustard and 2 tablespoons honey. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until browned and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes, flipping once. Brush with half the remaining honey mustard and cook 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Cut chicken breasts into thin slices and transfer to a serving platter.

Brush onions with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until browned and tender, 7 to 9 minutes, flipping once. Brush onions with remaining honey mustard and cook 1 minute. Transfer onions to serving platter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ teaspoon honey, vinegar, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add spinach and tomatoes and toss to combine. Serve salad alongside sliced chicken and onions.

From the September 2011 issue of Everyday Food