Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken...it was Foolproof

This is one of those recipes that are super easy. If you are organized. If you don't have superfluous dishes on the counter in your way. If you use measuring spoons to get accurate teaspoons of salt and pepper. If you don't eyeball it and then grab the pepper only to find out the little three-holed sprinkle door of the pepper is not, in fact, open but the large pouring door of the pepper IS open. Then you have to scrape out all that extra pepper because...ohmygod...it's just. Too. Much.




Ok, so back to the beginning where you are organized. This is easy. Very quick to assemble and then a breeze to cook because, you don't need to tend it at all. It just bakes on it's own while you do dishes, or make mashed potatoes or play Guild Wars.

Crispy Mustard-Roasted Chicken
Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon
½ cup dry white wine
1 (3½- to 4-pound) chicken, cut in eighths

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place 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.

This is what it looks like before you pop it in the oven.



Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 F then raise the heat to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. This last part of the baking at higher heat will brown the crumbs assure the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Just out of the oven....



A keeper. This was indeed a foolproof and easy recipe. My review of this book may be found at Novel Meals. If you try this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!



Next up will be rabbit, lamb stew, book reviews and The Hunger Games.