Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin-Sage Grits

Sorry, I posted the pumpkin cinnamon rolls and mentioned another recipe I had planned to make that week... and then I got sick. Now I am better and cooking again. So here is the second pumpkin recipe I made this month. We all liked it , but the grits should definitely be eaten with the chicken. They compliment each other well, but I think alone, the grits are kind of bland. So here is the recipe, and as usual I put little side notes of changes I made...

Cinnamon Roasted Chicken with Pumpkin-Sage Grits

Ingredients

3 chicken breast halves (I then cut them in half, so into six pieces of chicken)

1 T vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1½ t salt

1 t cinnamon

½ t black pepper

1½ c water

2/3 c instant grits

½ c canned pumpkin

1 T snipped fresh sage (I used closer to 3 T)

1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese

Sage leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place halved chicken breast halves into a baking dish. Drizzle chicken with oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt, the cinnamon, and black pepper. Rub the spices over all sides of the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink and juices run clear. (I had to bake for 40 minutes for them to be fulled cooked.)

About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, in a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in grits until combined. Stir in pumpkin, sage, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

To serve, spoon grits onto dinner plates and top with chicken breast halves. Add sage leaves on top.

Enjoy!