Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Chicken

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 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 Bread Crumbs post, they’re so quick and easy, you’ll wonder why you ever bought them. You can use just about any type of bread, or even crackers, in a pinch.

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.

I love all Ina’s books, I nab every one as soon as it comes out!

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3.6 from 439 votes

Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Chicken

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!

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Marinating 2 hours

Yield 4 servings

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

*Recipe lightly adapted from Ina Garten

 

More Ina Garten recipes to try!

• Ina Garten's Chocolate Cake
• Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes
• Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon