Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Chicken is tender and succulent with a crunchy mustard and thyme crumb coating ~ it’s become a favorite in our house!
This Mustard Roasted Chicken is from Ina Garten’s new book Foolproof. Ina is one of my favorite chefs, and I’m never disappointed by her recipes. Just look at the crunchy mustard and thyme crumb coating on this chicken! This is one of those recipes to make and memorize ~ it’s perfect for everyday meals, but also great for entertaining ~ there aren’t many souls who can resist a great roasted chicken.
Ina Garten has a way of zeroing in on what makes food delicious, without any unnecessary steps, frills, or ingredients. She is always right on, and truly foolproof. In this case, though, Alexandra from Alexandra Cooks, one of my favorite blogs, made a couple of minor changes which I think are spot on. She substituted buttermilk for white wine in the coating/marinade for the chicken, and used fresh bread crumbs instead of the panko crumbs Ina calls for. I think they are brilliant changes, so I’ve kept them. Use your favorite parts of the chicken. Ina calls for a whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces. Alexandra used thighs and legs, and I used breasts and my new favorite cut, the whole leg (drumstick and thigh attached).
If you’d like to make your own breadcrumbs, check out my HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BREADCRUMBS post, they’re so quick and easy, you’ll wonder why you ever bought them!
This chicken is everything you’d hope it would be. Moist and perfectly done inside, with a golden, crunchy mustard and thyme crust, I highly recommend it! And if you’re craving more Ina inspired chicken, try my LEMON CHICKEN SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts and 2 whole leg/thighs, bone in, skin on
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- a small handful fresh thyme leaves
- zest of one lemon
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs *
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Put the chicken pieces in a large zip lock baggie or other container. Mix the buttermilk and the mustard and pour over the chicken. Coat all the surfaces, and marinate, tightly covered, for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Set oven to 400F
- Set up a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the machine going, drop in the garlic cloves to mince them. Turn off the machine and add the crumbs, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse the machine to combine everything.
- Put the crumbs into a pie plate, or other wide shallow bowl, and press each piece of chicken, skin side down, into the crumbs. The marinade will help the crumbs adhere to the meat. Press the crumbs in with your hands to completely coat the top. Set the chicken down --- crumb side up --- on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Press any remaining crumbs onto the bare spots on the chicken. Don't waste any!
- Bake the chicken for about 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and the chicken is cooked through. I ran mine under the broiler at the very end to get a little more color.
Notes:
- I love all of Ina’s books, I collect every one as soon as it comes out!
- Love mustard as much as I do? Try this Mustard Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner, or this Mustard Roasted Cauliflower!
Don’t forget to pin it!
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17 Comments
Rachel
June 14, 2017 at 3:43 amI used 4 chicken thighs that I had on hand and ended up with enough crumbs for 6. It was tasty however I used panko bread crumbs, subbed all purpose seasoning for salt, and used dried thyme. I feel that the lemon zest is what really made the flavor pop.
Sue
June 14, 2017 at 7:01 amGreat to know it works with thighs, Rachel, I know a lot of people really prefer them, thanks!
Sherri
September 19, 2015 at 8:01 pmMade this tonight with a grill pack of chicken. 3 thighs 3 drumsticks and 2 breasts. Had to double the breadcrumb topping. It was okay, but not fantastic. The only flavor is in the topping which is very tasty. Spray the top with cooking spray before putting in oven. It helps brown the top. I soaked in buttermilk and dijon for several hours before baking . Fairly easy recipe to make.
Lori
June 26, 2015 at 8:43 pmHi Sue, love how this chicken looks. Made my mouth so hungry just reading the recipe! My husband and I truly abhor skin. Do you think we can go skinless and still keep it juicy? Many thanks for sharing.
Sue
June 26, 2015 at 8:51 pmI’m not sure, Lori, but you could certainly try. I would think that the coating would keep the meat moist, even without the skin.
A Recipe Roundup of Lemon Chicken Dinner Ideas — Giving Up on Perfect
December 29, 2014 at 10:52 am[…] Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Chicken – The View from Great Island […]
Mustard Chicken with Fresh Bread Crumbs | the Hungry Hedgehog
January 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm[…] I wanted to do a version that is as simple as possible so I switched out some of the fresh spices with dried ones, and changed out the buttermilk for milk and lemon juice. I don’t really like to buy buttermilk because I never am able to use it all up, so I find that milk and lemon juice works as pretty good substitute. If you have access to fresh ingredients / buttermilk, the View From Great Island has a recipe using those ingredients here. […]
grace
December 18, 2013 at 1:25 pmi usually steer clear of bone-in chicken recipes, but this one is too good to skip. i think i’ll try it on plain ol’ breasts. :)
SallyBR
December 18, 2013 at 8:41 amWonderful! I am going to pin your version, and intend to make it soon… I also love Alexandra’s blog, and find that her changes made the recipe better for sure!
Now I am hungry. See what you did? ;-)
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
December 17, 2013 at 5:10 amI’m heading over to Amazon to put this cookbook on my wish list. Thanks for the heads up. Sounds like a must have in my collection. This chicken looks fabulous and I must try it soon. Pinning this one. Have you ever made Ina’s Mustard Chicken Salad? It’s a great recipe and she used to sell tons of it at her store.
Sue
December 17, 2013 at 7:32 amI haven’t had that one, I’ll have to look it up, thanks Lee Ann!
denise@magnoliaverandah
December 16, 2013 at 8:14 pmOh my I like your alterations to the dish I agree, wine and fresh breadcrumbs would make it so much better. Here we call the cut of leg and thigh Chicken Maryland, don’t ask me why. But it is perfect for something like this.
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen
December 16, 2013 at 5:21 pmI have that cookbook and have wanted to make this chicken, but haven’t gotten around to it. You make everything look amazing. I could definitely hold out on the cookies for a while with this chicken.
Sam
Sue
December 17, 2013 at 7:34 amThanks, Sam. From what Alexandra says, the chicken doesn’t turn out nearly so appetizing with the panko crumbs, so I would definitely use the fresh.
Monique
December 16, 2013 at 4:12 pmI love Ina..her recipes.. everything:)
This looks wonderful!
Eileen
December 16, 2013 at 1:12 pmWow, does this chicken ever look amazing! I can just hear the crunch of the crust. Definitely need to give this one a try.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
December 16, 2013 at 11:13 amThis looks amazingly moist. I love mustard on chicken and bet this is pretty tasty. Happy Monday Sue!