Baked Mustard Chicken

My husband’s birthday celebration involves a special meal out and a special meal at home. For the past few years, there have been a few constants on the birthday menu at home: cheesecake (his FAVORITE listed on the link at the end of this post), mustard “something”, and potatoes. 🙂 When I first spotted this recipe in the New York Times, I immediately thought of my husband’s birthday dinner. It involved 3/4 cup of Dijon mustard (mustardy) and baked for HOURS (special). I quartered chickens for the first time too. (Thanks to help from You Tube!)

The chicken is coated with mustard, garlic, spices, and bread crumbs; this coating seals in the moisture as the chicken bakes. The original recipe stated that the chicken should cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the coating is dark and crispy. I set the oven to convection and shortened the baking time to 1 1/2 hours. The end result was tasty, but not that mustardy! It tasted more like delicious baked “fried” chicken. We ate it with wonderful creamed spinach and roasted potatoes. This recipe was adapted from Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin, via the New York Times.

Happy Birthday to my hubby and Happy Fiesta Friday #18 at The Novice Gardener!

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• 3/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups fine dry unseasoned bread crumbs
• 2 chickens, approximately 3 pounds each, quartered, dried, at room temperature for 1 hour
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, or as needed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. (I used a convection oven.) In a large mixing bowl, combine mustard, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place bread crumbs in another large bowl.
2.
Working in batches, coat chicken quarters on all sides with mustard mixture. Shake off excess mustard, then coat completely with bread crumbs. Arrange in a single layer in two large, shallow baking pans.
3.
Dust the chicken with paprika to taste and scatter butter pieces on top. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and crispy, about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes in a convection oven, or 2 hours  to 2 1/2 hours in a standard oven. Serve hot or at room temperature.

One Year Ago:

• Vanilla Bean Birthday Cheesecake

If you like this you may also like:

• Mustard Chicken
• Mustard Chicken with Shallots
• Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce
• Pork Tenderloin with Mustard-Wine Sauce

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About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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