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!
Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Chicken
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
More Ina Garten recipes to try!
45 Comments
HoneyBunny20
January 3, 2021 at 6:36 pmI will give this another try by removing the skin from the chicken. Made this with chicken thighs and the skin remained rubbery and very unappetizing. The breading was tasty so I will try again and believe this will greatly improve the experience.
Sharon Kneubuehl
January 31, 2021 at 12:14 pmReally, really good!
Lidia
October 1, 2020 at 4:26 amWould this recipe work with turkey breast?
Sue
October 1, 2020 at 6:12 amYes, sure! You’ll want to cook it a little longer until the internal temperature is 165F
Jessica
April 27, 2020 at 1:27 pmHi. Looks great! To confirm, we only bread the 1 side with the skin?
Sue
April 27, 2020 at 2:28 pmThat’s how I did it, but you can certainly coat the entire pieces if you prefer.
Lucille
May 29, 2020 at 4:10 amThis recipe is so delicious and fairly simple. I prepped the chicken and marinated it for a few short hours, I only had thick chicken breasts, so I cut them into tenderloins, coated both sides and baked for the 40 minutes, the flavor was delicious, I was worried that may come out dry but NO, not at all, perfectly juicy. Family loved them. Thanks!
Sue
May 29, 2020 at 6:18 amI’m so happy you enjoyed this Lucille, I think that coating really does keep the chicken nice and moist.
Teresa
April 22, 2020 at 11:07 amReally interested in trying this recipe! Our grocery store was almost out of meat….except for a big bag of chicken drumsticks with thighs. So we grabbed!! My question is would pork rinds sub for bread crumbs? Diabetic and they shoot my blood glucose u p and new at learning to cook differently.
Sue
July 27, 2020 at 5:34 pmI haven’t experimented with that, but worth a try!
Sheppard
August 28, 2020 at 4:40 pmYou may want to try nut crumbs if you can have nuts. There’s a brand called Appel Foods that is delicious.
Sue
August 28, 2020 at 5:45 pmI’ve tried them, they’re genius!
Leslie
November 3, 2020 at 9:29 amPlease do a version for the air fryer. I would love this recipe on a night I can just throw them in after I have prepared them that morning. I work late so sometimes I need a shorter cook time but just as juicy and crisp. Thank you!
Jay
April 10, 2020 at 9:49 amI was sent a picture of this from a friend and knew I had to try it myself! Due to the current state of the world, I only have chicken tenderloins on hand, but figured I’d wing it anyways. And I’m so so SO glad I did! This is now going into my regular recipe rotation!
Sue
April 10, 2020 at 10:08 amThanks Jay, that’s so nice to hear!
Robyn B
April 8, 2020 at 8:08 amHi..I am in the no flour section…do you think we could use crushed pecans in place of the breadcrumbs?
Sue
April 8, 2020 at 8:14 amI think that would work, I’ve actually seen ‘nut crumbs’ for sale in the supermarket lately. The only thing I would watch out for is the nuts getting too browned while in the oven.
Laura
April 7, 2020 at 3:54 pmWhat do your serve with this chicken?
Sue
April 7, 2020 at 7:40 pmAny green veggie, roasted or steamed, like broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas. Then maybe roasted potatoes, couscous, or rice.
Cathy
April 6, 2020 at 12:06 pmI plan to try this tomorrow night. Just bought leg quarters and was looking for different way to do them. I have used a similar bread mixture to top baked oysters but used Italian bread crumbs and no mustard or buttermilk. Never thought to use it on chicken. So thanks so much! I gave it five stars because I know how good this is going to be.
Jordan
April 5, 2020 at 8:38 amI made this for the family yesterday and it got thumbs up from everyone, even my picky youngest, thanks so much Sue!!
Uta Hoffer
December 6, 2019 at 12:12 pmPlace the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the bread flakes. Pour the mixture onto a large plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin-side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.
Wanda K CRONIN
April 17, 2019 at 1:41 pmI used plain Greek yoghurt with whole grain mustard (I didn’t have buttermilk or Dijon!). I also crushed up butter crackers and added all the seasonings I’m not even sure with all these changes I can say I “made” this recipe, but it certainly was good! I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts as well. I was searching for a different chicken recipe because I was tired of my usual ‘goto’ chicken and was determined to make it work!
Sue
April 17, 2019 at 1:42 pmChanges are are always encouraged around here, and I’m glad it worked out so well for you!
Krista
July 3, 2018 at 8:36 amThis looks amazing! Any idea how long I need to cook these if I made it with boneless chicken breasts? My family is a little picky lol
Sue
July 3, 2018 at 8:43 amI’d guess about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts, Krista.
Penny Moore
July 1, 2018 at 9:49 pmI made this with boneless skinless breast. It was really good. This recipe is a keeper.
Sue
July 1, 2018 at 9:54 pmIsn’t Ina fabulous?
Kim
March 13, 2018 at 8:33 amHi Sue,
Love all your posts & your bright, thoughtful approach to culinary arts.
With a nod to Thomas Keller’s *perfect baked chicken*, I switched out garlic cloves & fresh thyme with granulated. Mr. Keller’s methodologhy stresses no ingredeients which may add steam, prohibiting a crisp skin.
I’m making your recipe tonight & will report back.??
Sue
March 13, 2018 at 8:42 amThanks so much Kim, I appreciate the kind words 🙂 I hope your chicken turns out amazing!
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.
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!
[email protected]
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!